I am deeply sceptical when it comes to hybrid cars. Who are the meant to benefit, the manufacturer to meet their C02 targets to avoid taxation of the user? They may be of benefit to the user in heavy traffic but I rarely drive in those conditions.
I have my doubts as well. I view hybrid technology as a way to reclaim lost energy and as an efficient driver I don't lose much in the first place. For instance I doubt I'll generate much power through the brakes since I hardly ever use them. However I will reclaim some through engine braking. From talking to someone I know who drives in a similar way that should reduce fuel costs quite significantly. I think she said she's averaging over 60mpg on a commute similar to mine (10 miles rural main road, 2 miles urban).
But I'm not really that bothered about the environmental side of things. I'd prefer to minimise my impact but I also take the long term view which is that all technology improvements are good because they all have the potential to trigger someone to come up with something even better. Everything humans invent becomes a tool in our arsenal in the great 'battle against the universe'. If some of those have negative effects then so be it - you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs. I also like technology if it works well and looks good and so far most of the hybrid dashboards that Honda has produced have looked good. And the technology does seem to work well.
Will it save me money? Doubtful. But then if I cared about money the easy way to save it is not to throw it away on a new car in the first place. Will it reduce my environmental impact during my ownership of it? Maybe. About the only thing I'm pretty sure it will do is somewhat reduce the amount of pollution my driving creates.
On a motorway or free flowing A road the batteries, motors etc are just extra weight to carry.
Which as you ought to realise is irrelevant. You, yourself, pointed out that it's acceleration that requires the most work from the engine. On motorways and in free flowing traffic there is little acceleration and thus the weight of the car is largely unimportant.
There is no free lunch or miles to be had. I would guess that electricity used as road fuel will be taxed somehow, the government can't afford not to if electricity ever becomes a viable fuel. I believe that battery power is a stopgap until hydrogen fuel cells become cost effective.
Of course, but there's no avoiding death and taxes so it's hardly an argument against the idea. As for hydrogen - no thanks. At least, not yet. Hydrogen is not a fuel. It's an energy transport medium. That's because on Earth you don't find it lying around. You have to make it and most of those methods require quite a lot of energy. There are I believe a couple of chemical ways of producing it but I don't think they've been perfected yet.
But really this is about a few things for me:
* The dashboards look 'cool'.
* The technology is effective and works well.
* It will slightly, in at least one way, reduce the damage I do when I drive.
* It's clear that electric power is going to take over in cars over the next decade. I'm optimistic that the next Hybrid Honda sell in the UK will have a more reasonable price. It has to because it'll be their mainstream offering so they can't stick a premium on it.