Concerns about air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum dependence have led a growing number of governments, businesses and other institutions to purchase low-polluting, energy-efficient vehicles for their fleets. Hybrid-electric vehicles hold much promise for enabling fleets to increase fuel efficiency without sacrificing convenience or performance. Because of the newness of this technology, and the additional cost of the electric drive train, however, the purchase price of a hybrid-electric vehicle can be up to $4,000 more than its conventional counterpart. For this reason, it is important for institutions to better understand the full costs and benefits of hybrid vehicles to determine if such vehicles provide a good value and how best to integrate them into their fleets. What the Calculator Will Do Cost Data The tool projects repair and maintenance costs and resale values for the mileage and years of use specified by the user. Users may override the tool’s projections with actual data from their own fleets. Since hybrid vehicles are new to the marketplace and the technology is changing rapidly, it can be difficult to accurately predict what resale values will be several years in the future. In addition, the presence of the hybrid-specific battery raises questions, since it is not known how many years beyond the current warranty (8 years or 100,000 miles for most hybrids) the battery will last and how the presence of a battery near or at the end of its warranty will affect resale value. Like resale values, maintenance costs are much more difficult to estimate for hybrid electric vehicles because of their newness in the marketplace. Some anecdotal information exists to indicate that repair and maintenance costs for hybrids is similar to conventional vehicles, and in some cases, hybrid maintenance is actually lower. For example, brake pad replacement may be less frequent in hybrids than conventional models, as there is less wear due to the hybrid’s regenerative braking design. Some have estimated that the gasoline engine may also last longer due to less use. Honda, for example, estimates the transmission fluid change may be more frequent (30k miles versus 60k for conventional) in the hybrid Civic, but the spark plug change interval for the hybrid is less frequent. Battery replacement has not been factored in to the default figures due to the extended warranty (currently 8 years or 100,000 miles for most hybrids). Please see www.newdream.org for more information on hybrid cost issues. Emissions Data Tailpipe emissions estimates in this tool reflect annual “real-world” in-use CO, HC, NOx, and PM10 emissions. Factors affecting these estimates are the vehicle’s certified emission standard, regulatory vehicle class, fuel type, and annual miles traveled. CO2 estimates in this tool reflect in-use emissions only. Factors affecting these estimates are the vehicle’s city and highway fuel economy, fractional division of city and highway driving, and annual miles traveled. This tool assumes a conversion factor of 19 pounds of CO2 emitted per gallon of gasoline burned. Miles per Gallon and Other Assumptions Feedback The HEV Cost and Benefit Calculator Tool was developed by the Center for a New American Dream, with assistance from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, under subcontract with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. We thank Vincentric for their assistance in supplying data for the operations of the tool. |