A hybrid vehicle will save gas when used in town, for short trips that include multiple stops and starts. If the average speed is between 15 and 30 mph, and trip length is 5 miles or less, then the hybrid is ideal. For trips over 10 miles, and steady speeds over 35 mph, a hybrid will not save fuel, when compared to a similar vehicle equipped with a gasoline engine.
The best way to save fuel, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, when you are forced to operate a large vehicle, is to combine trips/errands, and reduce your driving as much as possible. From a purely economic standpoint, you might do better with an SUV that has a smaller gasoline engine, combined with making an effort to drive less.
Hybrid vehicles are more complex when compared to gas or diesel power, and hybrids generally have to go to the dealership for service. That could be a problem for you if the dealership is located some distance away.

VgQn is looking at the Toyota Yaris. It's a compact, not a hybrid (she prefers heirlooms ;o) and gets ~40 mpg. At present she's been driving a 92' Ford Festiva which still runs ok, but heck after 15 years she deserves a new car for sure. She perfers the smallish hatch back types. The old festiva gets 30/35 mpg now.
Sorry Sarahbn, I know this has nothing to do with your question, but I couldn't resist the "New Car" thread title.....besides, the old SOE Forum needs any input it can get nowadaze ;o)

The more we change the more we stay the same.While cars today are cleaner burning we've gained little in saving gas. Modern car are lighter,smaller,engine half the size of old and fuel injected but still get no better mileage then the older ones.I can remember my father having full size cars with V8 engines(69 Impala 327 v8, 72 Plymouth Fury 360 v8). These car gave 22 plus miles per gallon with dads heavy foot.Todays family cars do the same or little more then that. Whats your SUV get. I've owned two Ford Broncos 66 and 72. Both had small V8 and were built like tanks. 18 mpg. I know someone with a Suzuki XL7 4 cylinder. She drives like your grand mother and gets 18 mpg at much less the weight of the old Ford Bronco.So with Car manufacturers spending billions on engineering and tec. what have we gained.Can it be the gas companies putting some green in some ones hand at the cost of our green earth.The environmental laws are a joke. Manufacturers are required to meet certain mileage standards. But this is across the board.They put out a few shoe boxes that get 35 mpg then pump out those Suvs.With the tec we have today we should be seeing 35 or more out of our suvs. Why aren't we.Do as little as we need to and make those profits.Its time car companies are made to toe the line.In the early seventies a 13 year old asked his science teacher after seeing how easy hydrogen was made from water why we don't use hydrogen to power cars.The response was don't be stupid.Here we are 35 years later. 35 years behind in clean burning fuels in our cars.

Well, the good news about gas prices is that it will *undoubtedly* lead consumers to smaller cars.

Even the most hard core of truck-lovers are starting to show some hesitance about their truck-love. The economic pain at the pump is a strong motivator.

I'm expecting a rush on smaller cars, and a subsequent race to produce more fuel efficient cars.

If you just watch car ads on TV, they are touting the MPG of whatever fuel misers they have.

I am anxiously awaiting the next generation of fuel efficient and electric cars.

> For trips over 10 miles, and steady speeds over 35 mph, a hybrid will not save >fuel, when compared to a similar vehicle equipped with a gasoline engine.

This is absolutely not true. I have a Civic hybrid, and it gets ~55 mpg on the highway. No other Civic option gets that mileage.

Have you assumed that, because the hybrid is only using the gas engine at highway speeds, that there is no difference between a hybrid and a regular car at highway speed?

The hybrid Civic has a smaller engine than any other Civic. This is possible because the electric motor is available to assist with acceleration. Once at highway speed, it doesn't take much power to maintain that speed. Because the hybrid has a smaller engine than a gas-only Civic, it uses less fuel to maintain highway speed.

Alex

In defense of the science teacher hydrogen is still a stupid way to power anything, its really just a very inefficient form of energy storage, a hydrogen fuel cell is expensive to make and while you may get the energy equivalent of 120 miles to the gallon if you just used a cheaper longer lasting, less energy intensive electric car you could use the electricity used to make that hydrogen and get at least 160 miles. In the conversion process you loose at the very least 30% of your energy.