March 7th, 2012 - I recently listened to a Freakonomics podcast (Hey Baby, Is That a Prius You’re Driving?). It discussed the economical perspective of why people “go green” and how they make their choice purchases (such as buying a Prius instead of a Honda hybrid).
According to a recent model developed by a couple of PhD economic students, people are 30% more likely to purchase a Prius over an equivalent semi-electric car strictly based on appearance (conscious or not).