BANDON, OR – As interest in fuel economy and global warming increases, so does research into alternative-fuel vehicles. One such research project by CNW Marketing Research Inc., which took place over the span of two years, collected data on the energy necessary to plan, build, sell, drive, and dispose of a vehicle from initial concept to scrappage. The results included a “dollars per lifetime mile” figure, also deemed the “energy cost per mile driven.” According to the report, the most “energy expensive” vehicle sold in the United States in calendar-year 2005 was the Maybach at $11.58 per mile. The least expensive vehicle was the Scion xB at $0.48 cents. However, the report found that driving a hybrid vehicle costs more in terms of overall energy consumed than did comparable non-hybrid vehicles. Once example compared Honda models: The Honda Accord Hybrid had an energy cost per mile of $3.29, while the conventional Honda Accord was $2.18. According to the report, there are several reasons hybrids cost more than non-hybrids, including the manufacture, replacement and disposal of such items as batteries, electric motors, lighter weight materials, and complexity of the power package. According to the report, while the industry average of all vehicles sold in the United States in 2005 was $2.28 cents per mile, the Hummer H3 was only $1.949 cents per mile. That figure is also lower than all currently offered hybrids and Honda Civic at $2.42 per mile.