With rising fuel costs and concerns for the environment as high as ever, the time has never been more right to switch to a hybrid car. Hybrid vehicles are powered with a combination of gas and electricity to reduce fuel consumption and limit emissions. Through the use of electricity, hybrids significantly reduce the amount of gas needed to power a car. It is a common misconception that hybrid vehicles do not offer the same performance as conventional cars. Once it’s understood how hybrid cars work, it is clear that hybrids are capable of providing the same level of performance as standard vehicles.
Basically, there are two types of hybrid cars. One is known as the parallel hybrid car in which a gasoline engine and an electric motor combine together to power the car. At low speeds, the vehicle is powered by electricity alone as the gasoline engine does not turn on during speeds of up to 15 mph to 30 mph, assuming slow acceleration is applied. The other type is known as the series hybrid, which is also powered by a combination of a gasoline engine and electric motor. The difference is that, in a series hybrid, the gasoline engine either directly powers the electric motor or by charging batteries that provide power for the electric motor. Both forms of hybrid vehicles are extremely silent in comparison to conventional vehicles.
If you are in the process of buying a new car, or are unsure of whether or not you should make the switch to a hybrid vehicle, here are five reasons to consider making your next car purchase a hybrid.
Fuel Efficient
Gas prices are constantly on the rise, and there is no better way to minimize fuel costs than to switch to a hybrid vehicle. It is not uncommon for hybrids to travel over 600 miles per fill up; after all, they’re designed to be fuel-efficient. They are made from lightweight materials and are equipped with tires that reduce friction. These two features combined with a smaller engine reduce expenditure. Hybrid cars are typically smaller in size and have smaller engines. The gasoline engine switches off when the car is idle and turns back on once the gas pedal is pressed. Additionally, the electric motor can regenerate electricity while breaking or via the gasoline engine. This increases the fuel efficiency of the vehicle. The combination of a gasoline and electric motor is made possible through power-train technology, which enables hybrid cars to simultaneously utilize two power sources.
Environmentally Friendly
One of the main reasons for the development of the hybrid car was to decrease the emission of toxic fumes from conventional cars. It is simple: A hybrid car significantly reduces the amount of gas needed to power the car due to its use of a combination of electricity and a gasoline engine. This reduces the amount of emissions released by the vehicle and helps in making a greener environment. It is reported that hybrids produce about 50% less carbon dioxide emissions than conventional cars, thus they help to decrease the greenhouse effect.
Financial Incentives
The government understands the need for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption, particularly from petrol burned in vehicles. As such, various special tax benefits are offered to new hybrid car owners. Tax incentives encourage the switch to hybrid cars and are a way of praising consumers who make the switch. Some tax benefits include tax credits and, in some places, free parking for hybrid cars.
Low Maintenance and Reliable
Hybrid cars require very little maintenance in comparison to conventional cars that run solely on gasoline-burning systems, as a hybrid power system doesn’t have as much of a detrimental effect on the engine; they only have a few main components that wear at a very slow rate since there is minimal heat produced. In fact, hybrid car engines that have clocked over 200,000 miles are known to run like new and this is an indication of the reliability of hybrid vehicles.
One of the most common concerns prospective hybrid car buyers have is on the reliability of the battery. The typical hybrid is equipped with a high-quality battery that is designed to last the lifetime of the car. In fact, it’s not uncommon for batteries to outlast the life of a hybrid car.
Relatively Inexpensive
While the cost of a hybrid vehicle is usually $1500-$3000 higher than a standard car, the savings you make in the long run make it a worthwhile investment. Hybrids decrease gas costs per year as they burn less gas and thus require less frequent visits to the gas station. For example, the Toyota Prius can travel up to 60 miles per gallon (mpg). Thus, substantial savings can be made per year just by decreasing gas costs. Although hybrid car parts are expensive, they come with good warranties and, as mentioned above, seldom need the level of maintenance required for traditional, gasoline-powered vehicles. Also, hybrids keep their value over time as they are in high demand; as such, they can be a good financial investment.
CC licensed Flickr photo share by quinet
I’ve spent about $1,400 on gas since 2008 (when I started keeping track) in my ’04 Cavalier that gets about 30 MPG (real world not EPA). My car is paid for. I can’t trade to a hybrid and really save anything. If my car got 60 MPG I would have spent/saved about $700 in gas since 2008. The payment and insurance on a new car and that extra ”$1500-$3000″ would way more than negate the value of any savings I would see in gas. Gas would have to be like $20 a gallon for it to make sense to trade for one based only on fuel efficiency.
Half the problem with the adoption of hybrids is that they are still kind of rare and they hold their value so well. You can get a lot of brand new cars for the price of some used hybrids and they don’t really save that much money.
People could probably save more by living closer to their jobs and shortening their commute and gain a lot of free time in the process.
I hope to someday have solar panels on my garage and an all-electric car inside. Maybe even a flying one. But for now, for me, buying a car to save money on gas doesn’t equate to saving money driving.
If you are only spending $350 a year on gas, it doesn’t really matter much what you drive. You could be driving a gas hog and it would only cost you an extra $10 a month.
And of course, there is the geek factor; the technology is just so geeky. I’m on my 2nd generation Camry Hybrid, which has more computing power than the 1st generation (and as my dealer pointed out, that 1st one had more computing power than a space shuttle), And I am getting about 18% better fuel consumption. I had the 1st one for 5+ years, and comparing the fuel costs for that period to what my previous car (BMW 330xi) would have cost, I saved about $6000 (not including other than routine maintenace costs, which for the Beemer were ridiculous, and for the Camry were $0, as nothing ever stopped working (there were two recall services, neither of which related to the hybrid power train).
Ok First off… Fuel efficient, While yes it is true a hybrid car is fuel efficient because the engine do not have to propele the car from a stand still (which is known to cost more fuel) a Hybrid car running at 55+ MPH will consume as much if not more than an ordinary car (that was the test done on a prius btw) Why ? because the electric part of the car that moves you forward is good up to… 25 mph (Its 55 KPH im not sure what it is in MPH) so once you are on the freeway its going to be the lil 1.6 petrol engine that has the job to propele you. Now the Prius is one good car don’t get me wrong but for people living in the mountains where the speed limit is usually about 50 mph, it is NOT economical.
Secondly, while the prius IS a green car, the components needed for its fabrication, mainly its batteries, creates -Sorry for the language- a SHIT Load of polution. Now I dont know the exact figures or what it compares to but just imagine. One of the key component in the batteries is Nickel. That is mined in canada, then shipped via super container ship to china where its transformed then shipped once more to japan where it is transformed again and then included in the batteries. that whole thing is for a part of the batteries.
Im not saying that the prius or any hybrid car are bad, they are a really good alternative to our main way of getting about but, and this is a HUGE but, -no pun intented- a hybrid car might not be for you. Your needs in transportation might require a larger vehicule or simply a bigger powertrain. Where you live has an impact as well. I live in the mountains in an isolated place, the nearest grocery shop is a 30 to 40 min drive… we own a Toyota matrix with a four pot 2.4L and it is more economical than our neighbore Prius… why ? the location in our case, its just not hybrid friendly… it would be better for them to have a completly electric car, like the leaf or tesla or any other like that.
In the end, the hybrid car wont save the automobile… Hydrogen will, if you want more info on that look up the honda FCX Clarity, it got an Hydrogen fuel cell(tank) and unlike electric car, wont take 48 hours to charge up from nothing hah.
We drive our Prius 65 to 70 miles per gallon and still get 47 miles per gallon. The mileage does not drop at those speeds. I don’t know where you got that idea from. I have been checking the gas mileage every time we fill up the car for the whole 13,000 miles we have owned the car. It is a great car!
I bought a 2011 Prius II last October, 7 months ago, and have put 13,000 miles on it. I traded in my 2003 BMW 530i on it. I am not a geek, nor a tree hugger. I test drove one just for the fun of it and fell in love with it. I like the quiet ride. I like the way it drives, particularly on curves. My wife loves the car just as much as I do. We leave our Lincoln in the garage and drive the Prius because it is a lot of fun. We are averaging about 47 mpg which is 25 mpg better than our Lincoln. But that is not the only reason to drive it instead of the Lincoln, it is just a lot more fun. it is a fun car. We have even been talking about buying a second Prius so we can each have one.
The Prius is almost paying for itself. At 47 mpg we will be spending $1,570 a year on gas instead of $3,360, saving us $1,790 a year on gas. We paid $25,000 for the car and a 2009 is still selling for $20,000 with 3 years of depreciation. But once again, that is not the only reason for having the car, the car is a lot of fun to drive.
Also the Prius has a 5 star rating on durability and lack of repairs. The BMW was very expensive to repair and it needed a lot of repairs. That is why we were looking for another car, a more reliable car. And the Prius was more than we expected to find. It is a great car.
I know. That was my point about people living closer to their jobs.