ok I am prb wrong about how the 2350 factors in...

ehh, one of my buddies has the 2.5S and he gets 31mpg (he does almost exclusively highway) and he certainly doesn't put eny effort into getting that mileage! Of course when you mix in city it would be worse, but not as bad as 25. But lets assume a 10 MPG difference between the 2 cars:

35 mpg = 2.857 g / 100 miles
25 mpg = 4.000 g / 100 miles
@ $4.00 gallon thats $4.572 every 100 miles, or $4572 over 100,000 miles.

Assume the price difference between the 2 cars is $2500... Thats 55K miles to break even. Not too bad, assuming that there after the car won't be needing repairs to the electric-specific components... Ohh and also, we are looking at about 4 yrs time-frame, which if you just invested the 2500 at say no-rsik ING Direct Savings, you would be looking at about +$370 in interest, which buys you another 5K miles in gasoline :-)


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Now, the point that I really wanted to make originally was to target the following stament which stood out when I read the post, though through my mistake I attacked the purchasing decision of the NAH (which is not too bad) and not the "driving slower to save money" portion:

"""Frankly, I get a bit of a grin on my face when someone shoots by me doing 60 in a 40 zone, [...] Until the benefits of FE targeting are a more widely pursued goal on U.S. roadways, giving off a negative impression will continue to be a concern. And while those who are already driving hybrids may not care about that bad reputation - after all, we're the ones saving money."""

So say I drive slower (+10 minutes every 25 miles) to get that extra 5 mpg.
40 mpg = 2.500 g / 100 miles
35 mpg = 2.857 g / 100 miles
@ $4.00 gallon thats $1.428 every 100 miles, at the cost of 40 minutes of time!!! Even for someone that makes minimum wage, driving slower is eating away their money... Driving slower does improve fuel economy, but it does not save you money, unless your time is worth less than $2 an hour!
-->So if you are getting paid well on an hourly basis, and you want to save money, buy a sports car, and drive to work fast :-))))

 

No one is saying drive like a snail. The savings comes from simply driving the speed limit or a little below at high speeds (60 MPH is not slow) and avoiding the jack-rabbit starts.

This myth that speeding saves you time and money has been proved false time and time again. 9 times out of 10 the speeder ends up behind a slow vehicle or gets stopped at a traffic light while the slow but steady car catches up. One accident or ticket because of speeding wipes out any perceived savings.

The time equals money argument doesn't hold up when the time spent is an investment in your health, safety and gas savings.

 

Well I am talking about the scenario where you go the speed limit and everyone blows past you with 20+ MPH and try to avoid you on the road because you are a hog while maintaining your fuel economy. Thats just as dangerous as going faster than everyone else.
What I do is drive with traffic. If traffic does 80, I do 80. Thats the safest for everyone. Going faster OR slower than traffic is what creates dangerous scenarios on the road.

 

Well I am talking about the scenario where you go the speed limit and everyone blows past you with 20+ MPH and try to avoid you on the road because you are a hog while maintaining your fuel economy. Thats just as dangerous as going faster than everyone else.
What I do is drive with traffic. If traffic does 80, I do 80. Thats the safest for everyone. Going faster OR slower than traffic is what creates dangerous scenarios on the road.

 

you definitely need to choose which roads to drive with traffic. a larger road (3+ lanes), I think it's safe to go speed limit on the right lane

 

So at the end of the day, if you purchased a 2.5S you got a car with less HP and torque, no stability control, and over the years paid more to Exxon/Mobil.

And the hybrid driver got more HP and torque, stability control, a CVT transmission that does NOT use any belts or chains, and paid less to Exxon/Mobil but paid more to Nissan.

After a few years, the 2.5S driver continues to pay more to Exxon/Mobil. While the hybrid driver eventually pays off the debt to Nissan.

With regard to warranty, because more of the hybrid components are considered (by the fed) to be part of the emission control system, you have a bunch of parts warrantied to 100K miles (150 in California). And you have an engine that is much less prone to repair because it is de-tuned, is shut off a percentage of the time, and usually runs in it's most optimum range (and never sits and idles, a real killer). You probably never replaced brake pads, got longer oil change intervals, and had fewer repairs due to electric components (A/C motor and PS motor) less prone to mechanical failure.

 

I've been trying a number of hypermiling techniques on my NAH, and am doing pretty well, I'd say. Beyond the standard techniques that apply to all cars (slow down, watch acceleration, avoid braking as much as possible, inflate tires to sidewall pressure), there was one technique that I wanted to share with this group.

If you are starting on a downhill under 42mph and are in EV mode, shift into Neutral before going above 42mph. You will then stay in EV mode until you put the car back in Drive. I usually switch back into drive right before I start braking so that I can get the regen benefit. So, in this way, the ICE is off for the whole hill, even above 42mph. This is not unlike what the "real hypermilers" with non-hybrids do when they "Force Auto Stop" (FAS) (ie: cut their engines to coast), except that this is much safer!

Just an FYI.

Eph