SMS wrote:
Ecnerwal wrote:

The same logic is driving the production of hybrid cars that are less
fuel efficient than some non-hybrid cars. When the battery pack dies
in 8-10 years, the car will be junk (non-economic to repair), clearing
the way for more new car sales.

What's driving the production of hybrid cars is government policy. Tax
credits, and allowing hybrids to use carpool lanes is a powerful
incentive. Some people buy them because of a belief that they pollute
less, though in reality this is not the case.

I forgot to mention, it's not just government policies that drive hybrid
sales, some employers also give credits to employees. I was wondering
why I saw so many Priuses over by Google in Mountain View, then a friend
that works there told me that Google was giving $5000 to employees that
bought a Prius. I think that it's now $3000, as it proved to be so popular.

There is an article about the public and private promotion of hybrids at
"http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,202067,00.html"

Few people would buy hybrids without the perks of single-HOV use, or the
financial credits. The long-term cost of a hybrid is higher than
equivalent non-hybrid vehicles, given the added initial cost, and the
maintenance, though most people don't keep their cars long enough to
have to deal with the big-ticket hybrid maintenance items.

Ironically, the single-HOV use encourages hybrid use on freeways, where
there is no fuel efficiency advantage, plus the HOV lanes are often now
only marginally faster than the non-HOV lanes due to all the single
drivers in the HOV lanes.