San Francisco Chronicle Article

I found this article by Robert Collier Chronicle Staff Writer. I have long held the belief considering the additional cost of a hybrid vehicle it would take a considerable amount of time to see any sort of savings as compared to a conventional vehicle. Even at $2.40 a gallon gas is cheap compared to other costs of operating and owning a car.

Here is an excerpt:

Hybrids are not a panacea for fuel economy," said Dave Szczupak, Ford's vice president for power-train operations. Hybrids cost between $3,000 and $5, 000 more than their conventional counterparts, he says, and an average driver would have to keep the car for seven years to make it cost-effective, even with savings at the gas pump.