I helped a friend buy a car recently.
They purchased a fuel efficient hatchback - Honda Fit. $17k; up to 28mpg.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calculatorCompareSideBySide.jsp?column=1&id=22860
The Prius was just not worth it. $28k (above basic); upto 46mpg.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calculatorSelectEngine.jsp?year=2007&make=Toyota&model=Prius
At $4.20 /gal, that's 9.1 cents/mi for Prius, 15.0 cents/mi for Honda Fit.
Say 150k miles lifetime:
Prius : $13,700
Honda Fit : $22,500
Thus, an $8,800 premium is the break-even estimate. The price difference is $11k. No brainer if things stay as is.
But there was another option, I have been seeing on my commute in San Diego: the Zap! car.
It costs under $12 k. Looks funny, but is total electric with 25mi range. Enough for most commutes and errands. It plugs into a regular wall outlet. The electricity costs ~ 2 cents/mi (if I were paying for it).
Lets compute:
Honda Fit : $14.5k (base model) + $22,500 (150k mi) = $26,500
Toyota Prius : $23k (base model) + $13,700 (150k mi) = $26,700
Zap Zebra: $12k (base model) + $3,000 (150k mi) = $15,000
The government web site that calculated fuel efficiency does not even list the Zap Zebra as a possibility. When searching for electric vehicles it says "Sorry, no vehicles meet your specifications. Please try again." Hmmm..
Happiness is a cheap commute.
No comments:
Post a Comment