Even a card carrying member of the Republican party can become a hippie

As you recall TOR reviewed our ride in the Prius Golf-Cart a few months ago and found that although we were able to get about 50000 miles per gallon the fact that the thing wasn’t able to get over 35mph really didn’t make it a very appealing option for a young stud like myself.

But you also know the TOR mentality of getting off foreign oil and the need to get global warming under control so I finally did it and put my money where my mouth is, I went green.

I already consider myself an expert recycler being that I often carry empty water bottles with me back home so I can recycle them instead of throwing them into one of the NYC trash receptacles. See I love the great green earth and having spent time in China and chewed through smog like most Western people chew through a well-done steak I know how important it is that we start getting in line and discuss this inconvenient truth. But discussions between parties usually leads to name-calling and name-calling usually leads to hard-feelings and nobody wants to go home crying. I went out and bought the Ford Hybrid Escape which gets a roaring 34mpg compared to its 20mpg gas powdered Escape brother. Now it can’t make any financial sense to buy a Hybrid as I will never drive enough miles where the gas-savings will offset the extra cost of the hybrid.

I’ve done the math and it comes out to something like this

Gas Escape 20mpg city and 28mpg HWY

Hybrid Escape 34mpg city and 31 mpg HWY



Although I have no idea, my guess is that my city and highway driving will be about 40/60 split but who the hell knows. I also expect to drive about 10,000 miles per year. Assuming this split I get the following numbers

Gas Escape:

4000 city miles at 20mpg = 200 gallons

6000 highway miles at 28mpg = 214 gallons



Hybrid Escape

4000 city miles at 34 mpg = 118 gallons

6000 highway miles at 31mpg = 194 gallons



So if my math is correct I would have been using 414 gallons with the gas-escape while only using 312 gallons with the Hybrid. The difference of 102 gallons at $3 a gallon is ‘only’ a savings of $300 per year.

I believe I do get a $1500 federal tax-credit for buying a hybrid so the total additional cost is about $2000 more than the gas-powered 4 cylinder one and thus it will take me about six and a half years at $3 gas to make up the difference

So I’m obviously rooting for $6 gas this summer for you people who hate the plant