Top criterion that must be met before you will purchase a hybrid vehicle?

One disappointment for me in researching existing hybrids is the lack of plug-in models and models that have "electric-only" capability. I think those functions would make the difference for me - along with a little sticker price reduction.

I would assume that those who vote for the 6th option are already hybrid owners, as the hybrids already have improved performance (and gas mileage) over gas alternatives. But, something tells me that isn't correct. Does anyone who voted for this option want to explain?

Yeah, I forgot my login to OmniNerd but I just wanted to highlight how much of a rip off hybrids are as they are priced right now. The Civic hybrid for example costs $19,600 whereas the normal one costs 13 or 14 grand.

Normal civics gets about 37 mpg and the hybrids can get upwards of 50. On the average of 1000 miles driven a month thats 20 gallons in the hybrid and 28 in the normal car.

Even at $3/gallon that is only 24 bucks saved a month, $288 a year.

So for a $5000 price difference you save 250 bucks a year? Great in 17-18 years you will have broke even on your investment.

I just think they should be priced more reasonably.

The determining factor will be the price of gas; if it goes up to $5 a gallon, then hybrids will be economic (ergo popular). If it stays around $3 or goes down, as appears likely, hybrids will continue to be a gimmick. I look forward to seeing the fruits of Brandon's research.

Big companies like Exxon, Ford and G.M. have bought patents and technologies for years and hidden the truth from us. Example the Tucker automobile, solar motors, hydrogen powered gas turbine and hybrids. They have hybrids that will get 100 plus mpg. Oil controls you and the world. The fifty or so men that control oil, control us and control all the major countries. Sell lots of product at high prices to the mases =power.

In fact, Hybrids are worse for the environment than existing gasoline combustion engines. Follow me here... Hybrids, assuming you are driving them in the city and not the highway, use less gasoline than the average car - or they are at least billed as such. Since they use less gasoline, this means that there is more gasoline available for other users. Since we know from recent price spikes that gasoline is relatively price inelastic in America, the greater the number of hybrids on the road, the less gasoline that is being used by America.

Most people take that to be fact, even your average Joe on the street. I encourage you to tear it apart, since it's the basis for my next paragraph :)

Since America is using less gasoline (hence less petroleum), the same amount of petroleum is available for the rest of the world's use at a cheaper marginal cost than it were when America had 0 hybrids. Since the cost is lower, your average Joe in a developing nation (granted, there are few developing nations where you'd find a guy named Joe) can now buy more Gasoline; since his nation has lower Air Quality and emissions standards than America, you've now taken that 10 gallons a week that was being pushed through your Geo Metro, reduced it to 4 gallons a week for your Prius, and Joe-in-developing-nation is pretty much just burning the 6 gallons out of a barrel.

Awesome. Go hybrids.

An EMT friend of mine made a casual remark about electric cars once. There are paramedics that are extremely hesitant to save people from wrecks ... an overriding fear of electrocution from the vehicle's frame is holding them back.