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April 2008: Going green has gotten easier

The hybrid promise: One owner’s experience

By Krish Kuruppath and Mary S. Butler

With consumer interest in hybrid and fuel-efficient vehicles continuing to follow the same trajectory as gasoline prices, an increasing percentage of these potential buyers are more interested in saving cash at the pump than in saving the planet. No matter what a consumer’s motivation may be for purchasing a hybrid, automakers need to be upfront about how close EPA fuel-economy estimates are to reality. The experience of one 2006 Toyota Prius owner, AARF’s Technology Director Krish Kuruppath, illustrates why this transparency is so important.

Before EPA mpg estimates were revised, the 2006 Toyota Prius (shown above) had a combined mpg estimate of 55. Using the new EPA mpg estimates, which went into effect with the 2008 model year, the same vehicle has a combined mpg estimate of 46.

During the course of researching his new-vehicle purchase, Krish visited a number of automotive shopping and research sites, including Edmunds.com, MSN Autos and Motor Trend. He looked up pricing on autoweb.com and Cars.com and visited blogs, Prius owner groups and forums to get information on real mileage, engine technology, battery life and battery replacement cost. “I had a feeling that I would never get 60 mpg,” he explains, but he did expect to get at least 50 mpg. Unfortunately, most of the reviews he read online were from owners in California, who did not need to factor in depreciated performance during winter weather.

Disappointment over fuel economy
Krish’s initial excitement about owning a Prius soon abated when he realized that the vehicle was not delivering the fuel economy he had been promised. As has been well-documented by now, the original EPA mileage estimates for the Prius far overestimated the vehicle’s actual performance. Buyers drove home vehicles with window stickers that estimated the car would get 60 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway. (These EPA estimates have since been revised downward to 48 and 45 mpg, respectively.) The best mileage Krish has ever logged in more than two years of ownership is 47 mpg. In winter, he has noticed that the fuel economy of his Prius is closer to 40 mpg.

The display screen in the center console of a 2006 Toyota Prius can depict either energy use or gas consumption.

Unexpected benefits
One unanticipated benefit of hybrid ownership was that after a few months of driving the Prius, Krish started to notice he was getting better mileage on his non-hybrid SUV. Krish attributes this to better habits he developed since driving a hybrid. He is now more aware of wasteful habits, such as accelerating too quickly or slamming on the brakes at traffic lights. The real-time visual fuel-consumption helps drivers realize how these poor driving habits translate into reduced mileage, he said, and he wishes all vehicles had this feature. In addition, the 2006 model year Toyota Prius was one of 10 winners of Kelley Blue Book’s Best Resale Value Awards that year. When Krish does decide it’s time to trade-in or sell his hatchback sedan, he will likely recoup a higher percentage of his original purchase price than owners of roughly equivalent non-hybrid vehicles. Currently, a used 2006 Prius in excellent condition sells for only $1,000 less than it did new two years ago.

–Krish Kuruppath interview by Mary S. Butler

Related links:
Compare old and new EPA mpg estimates; fueleconomy.gov

Kelley Blue Books’s kbb.com names winners of 2006 best resale value awards; kbb.com, 10.05.05

2006 Prius images appear courtesy of Toyota Motor Corp.

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