Car buyers are trading in hybrid and electric cars for SUVs at a higher rate than ever before, according to a new analysis from car-buying platform Edmunds.com. The analysis offers a surprising look at how today's gas prices are drawing hybrid and EV owners toward gas-guzzling vehicles at a much more accelerated pace than in recent years.Edmunds made a point of releasing this information on Earth Day. I've been told I'm not a numbers guy, but you don't need to do a particularly sophisticated analysis to understand why a lot of people prefer SUVs to smaller hybrids. I can think of several reasons:
According to Edmunds.com, about 22 percent of people who have traded in their hybrids and EVs in 2015 bought a new SUV. The number represents a sharp increase from 18.8 percent last year, and it is nearly double the rate of 11.9 percent just three years ago. Overall, only 45 percent of this year's hybrid and EV trade-ins have gone toward the purchase of another alternative fuel vehicle, down from just over 60 percent in 2012. Never before have loyalty rates for alt-fuel vehicles fallen below 50 percent.
"For better or worse, it looks like many hybrid and EV owners are driven more by financial motives rather than a responsibility to the environment," says Edmunds.com Director of Industry Analysis Jessica Caldwell. "Three years ago, when gas was at near-record highs, it was a lot easier to rationalize the price premiums on alternative fuel vehicles. But with today's gas prices as low as they are, the math just doesn't make a very compelling case."
- You can see the road better in an SUV because the driver's seat is higher
- You can load more stuff in an SUV, generally
- A larger vehicle is more comfortable for passengers
- Gas mileage is getting better on some models; you can get around 30 MPG in a newer Ford Escape or Honda CR-V
- Unless there's a compelling reason to think otherwise, the default position for most people is that bigger is better
Earth Day gets celebrated in many ways. Here's an image that's received fairly wide circulation, following a concert on the Capitol Mall last week:
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| I got yer recycling right here, pal |
That reminds me -- SUVs usually have a lot of cup holders, too.
2 comments:
It's worth noting that the gas mileage of a Volt is about the same as that of a small SUV, and when you count the carbon cost of building it, its carbon emissions (assuming nighttime coal fired electricity) are about the same as a full size SUV or pickup. As far as I can tell, no electric or hybrid vehicle has lower emissions than its gasoline powered alternative.
Might as well save some money and be able to drive 500 miles in a day if you're going to create that emissions, no?
i can do 500 miles before lunch time.
if i had a Volt, it would take me 15 days to get to seattle, instead of just one.
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