Hybrid Concerns

The Concerns Surrounding Hybrid Vehicles

You might be considering a hybrid for your next vehicle. Perhaps you've been looking at that hybrid SUV or car and as much as the idea of owning a hybrid is attractive, you still have some concerns. You hear it all the time; hybrids are fuel-efficient and perform just as well as regular cars. Everyone has heard about the movement to go green and buying a hybrid would certainly be a move in that direction.

Some Background

A little knowledge about hybrids can help to dispel any questions or concerns about owning one. The same information may also not change your desire to purchase a conventional car. The truth of the matter is that hybrids have entered the automotive industry not as a passing fad but as the wave of the future. Is there a possibility that the costs of owning one outweigh the benefits? Are manufacturers really losing money with this new automotive technology? Will future hybrid vehicle owners be in for a rude awakening a few years later cost wise? Are the fuel savings really all that they are cracked up to be?

Consider this. Electricity is the cleanest and most pure source of energy. For years, engineers and car design entrepreneurs have tried to develop a practical electric automobile. Electric power is not the problem. The problems deal with developing a lightweight battery that supplies electric energy to operate a vehicle without having to recharge it after long driving distances. Distance is really the key to the whole issue surrounding electric cars. Electric power is great but the distance the vehicle can go on electric power alone is less than that of a conventional automobile.

Fuel Cells

Fuel cells are definitely the future of the automotive industry. Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to create the cleanest form of energy we know of for cars - electricity. Simple H20 is the only exhaust a fuel cell produces, that's right water. If every car ran on these, think of the impact to the environment! Though car manufacturers continue to improve fuel cell technology it will be several years before it reaches the consumer market. They are several prototypes being manufactured but there are problems with on board storage and hydrogen distribution. At the current stage of development, fuel cell-powered vehicles cannot be produced and sold at a reasonable price.

The Introduction Of The Hybrid

Hybrid cars are really the present solution until the above problems surrounding creating an electric car for mass distribution can be solved. The solution is necessary if we are to limit oil consumption and preserve a clean air environment. These are the reasons for the birth of the hybrid.

Basically, a hybrid combines a gas engine with an electric motor to provide power using as little fuel as possible with lower fuel emissions. Hybrids vehicles do not need to be plugged into a stationary power source like an electric outlet to recharge. Using energy lost while coasting or braking, hybrid batteries can recharge to continue running. They can also draw on the power found in the vehicle's gas engine. The one advantage is that the gas engine can be significantly smaller, since power to run a hybrid is drawn from two different areas.

Driving a hybrid vehicle is like driving a conventional car but there is one difference. When the hybrid stops, even for just a few moments, the gas engine shuts down automatically. Then when you step on the accelerator the electric motor starts, gets the car moving until the gas engine cuts in. This method of starting as hybrid vehicle is different from that found in conventional automobiles.

Some feel that over the long-term hybrid vehicles won't hold up. Yet there are hybrids that have logged over 180,000 miles with very few complications. Cab drivers have been using hybrids and have found them to be quite durable and dependable with only a handful of problems.

But what about the cost of hybrids? It has been suggested that, once the warrantee expires, replacing a hybrid battery could cost you thousands of dollars! Warrantees can last anywhere from 3 to 8 years. So owning a hybrid at first seems great but thousands for a battery seems a bit much. However, car manufacturers feel the price will drop as hybrids become more and more popular. The current cost of a hybrid battery is nearly $5,000 dollars. The battery pack contains 38 modules, each replaceable for about $138. The electric motors and batteries themselves do not require any maintenance over the life of the vehicle.

Fuel Mileage?

Taking figures for the Toyota Prius, you get about 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 mpg on the highway. If you drive in the city, your actually doing better. Of course, these numbers are based on EPA computer figures. Still, the actual number will vary but in general, this is what the hybrid vehicle is capable of barring driving patterns, weather and terrain.

The Future

Hybrids still have a long way to go to solve some issues but there are improvements being made constantly. There is a real dedication in the automotive industry to move in this direction and you would be remiss to not even consider purchasing a hybrid or at least including it in your decision making process if you're in the market for a car. Just like most things, it's a process and the future looks promising.

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