Photo: Wikipedia
With the rising cost of Gasoline a hybrid car is probably what may be considered a good option. A lot of people are actually looking for a more fuel efficient form of transportation and so it becomes imperative that an alternative is found in hybrid vehicles. However, for some people, the fact that the technology is more environmentally friendly is a major attraction for them. So for people who care about global warming and saving money a hybrid car might just be the way to go. But do not be deceived, a hybrid vehicle can cost as much as 20% more, running into several thousands of Dollars, more than its conventional counterpart. But this of course can be earned back from what you would have spent on gas if you were running on a conventional car.
The technology in hybrid vehicles is that it uses two power trains which is the gasoline engine and the electric motor. The electric motor is connected in parallel with the internal combustion engine which is in turn connected to the transmission. When used together, they tend to reduce fuel consumption. So the hybrid cars uses gasoline as a primary source of power but a greater range of performance alternatives is by switching engine. It might switch off the conventional engine at a stop and bring it back to life when it starts moving thereby saving fuel. The car can be run strictly on the electric motor with an alternative to switch to Gasoline when the electric power dies out. Sometimes with an electric motor to deal with low-speed driving, some hybrids can spend large amounts of time using no gasoline at all
Photo: Autoblog
There are various advantages of the hybrid cars but the most talked about is the fuel economy of these cars and the fact that it keeps the environment clean and healthy for everyone thereby making it an environmentally friendly car. However, a lot of people believe that one of the disadvantages of hybrid cars is that the batteries don’t last and are hard to dispose off and also expensive to replace. But this might just be mirth after all because hybrid car batteries are actually expected to last for the lifetime of the vehicle, although their charging capacity tends to diminish as years go by. Apart from that, the Warranty which is usually between Eight to Ten years (depending on the maker of the car) also covers the batteries such that the car might pass it use by date before the battery expires. Note that hybrid uses Nickel metal Hydride batteries which can be fully recycled. Car makers Honda and Toyota have said that they will recycle old batteries so disposal would not be a problem for you. Toyota pay you as much as $200 to recycle your old battery so disposal is no longer an environmentally problematic issue.
Note also that apart from the fuel economy of hybrid cars, most hybrid cars are also designed to get the best mileage ever. While the average EPA fuel economy for most cars in the United States is estimated to be about 20 miles per gallon, most hybrid cars are a lot higher than that estimation. The Toyota Prius for example is estimated to have an economy of 60miles per gallon (mpg) within the city and 51 mpg on the highways as hybrid works best in the city with an electric motor that deals on low speed driving making the car to run entirely on electricity most of the time. The Honda Insight is another hybrid car with an economy of 60 mpg in the city and 66 mpg on the highway. These two cars, the Prius and Insights are two hybrid cars that are unique in their own special ways.
With what you now know about the hybrid cars this should serve as a buying guide for you to decide if a hybrid car should be your next choice when buying a new car.