Automakers say electrics, hybrids no longer just fuel savers
[...] hybrids and electrics have largely appealed to the environmentally conscious crowd.
Battery range has improved significantly, experts expect gasoline prices to eventually climb, and the advent of autonomous vehicles favors motors powered by electricity over gas.
Hyundai unveiled battery, gas-electric hybrid and plug-in versions of a new car called the Ioniq, while Toyota showed the plug-in Prius Prime, which can go 22 miles on electricity before the gas-electric power system kicks in.
The Prius hybrid, powered by gas and electric motors, started the alternative fuel movement in the U.S. in 2000.
Even though sales grew as manufacturers added models, they never really caught on, partly because of the improved fuel economy of gas-powered vehicles.
Yet at $2 per gallon, it would take more than 10 years to recoup the $3,720 price difference between a base model Toyota Camry hybrid and its four-cylinder gas-engine counterpart.
The coming debuts of the Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model 3, which will have 200 miles of electric range, should make battery electric vehicles more appealing, even with cheap gas, Brauer said.