We were looking at a replacement for the Momma-mobile. She didn't want to look at a sedan because she's ridden 'high' for nearly all her married life so the Pruis was out. We did look at the Ford Explorer(?) hybrid, but 2 things knocked it out. 1) it ran on Battery only up to 25 to 30 MPH, per the sales person. 2) the battery pack would last 70K to 80K miles and we traditionally put 130K to 150K on a vehicle before we move on. $8,000 for a new battery pack ain't cheap and doesn't make much 'fiscal' sense.
Profit is not a dirty word. Sometimes you have to spend money to save money.