Plug in Prius, data manipulations... :-(
Hello everyone, I know I haven't posted before... but my gf (nobodyhere) sent me a link to the following article:
http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-24-plug-in-prius-not-worth-it-economically
Just read the article and it occurred to me that this is just one of those fantastic slight of hand math that carefully manipulates readers into believing the writer's thesis. The most glaring of these propagandarticles being the infamous CNW prius vs hummer report.
Anyways, the slight of hand in the calculations is the assumption that when you drive a plug in Prius, you drive it for 100 miles at a time. If the same calculation was done with average commuting distance in the US of 16 miles one way, using their figure of 6.63 cents/mile for gas (a nice american figure of approximately 83 cent litre of gas...):
One commute = 32 miles. The first 14 miles is covered by electricity which costs $0.418.
Prius Plug-In (32 miles): $1.61
Standard Prius (estimate, 32 mi): $2.12
Difference per 100 miles: $1.59
Difference per 10,000 miles: $159.38
Difference per 100,000 miles: $1593.75
But those are rosy american gas prices.
Given that the average Canadian commutes only 7.6km (http://www.vitalsignscanada.ca/rpt2008/table-XII-1.pdf)
and gas prices are $1.20 a litre and timed charges for electricity off prime time is 4.8 cents per kW-hour:
Prius Plug-In (estimate 15.2km): $0.18
Standard Prius (estimate, 15.2km): $0.91
Difference per 160 km: $7.68
Difference per 16,000 km: $768
Difference per 160,000 km: $7680
That's about $24,000 over a 500,000 km life time. Notice how I manipulated the figure by making a commute that is 100% electric... :-D
Anyways, it almost makes me want to join facebook rebutt this guy...
I guess that makes me wonder for me what the cost of running a plug in Prius would be, and I drive a lot:
Average week 550km driven. Estimated distance travelled on electricity alone 150km:
Prius Plug-In (estimate 400km on gas, 150km on electricity= 25.4kWh @9.6 cents/kWh): $24 on gas, $2.44 = $26.44
Standard Prius (estimate, 550km): $33
A mere $340/year for me... :-( Over 10 years, that's only $3400... Would I do a conversion? Of course I would! First of all there's the environmental factor, second, the electric motor does not wear out as fast as the engine does. By making it a plug-in you increase the engine life. So maybe over it's lifetime it's well worth it? But most people just don't drive as much as I do...
Thoughts?
-EvilShin