Up until now, the U.S. market hasn’t really embraced hybrid cars, mostly because they come with such big price tags attached. But with gas prices taking a bigger bite out of the family budget each week, more and more drivers are considering hybrids because of their promise of lower fuel consumption.
Because hybrids run on both fuel and battery-powered engines, they do make trips to the gas pump less painful. But that’s just one of the advantages to owning a hybrid vehicle. There’s really a whole host of advantages that may sway you to switch to a gasoline-electric vehicle.
Hybrids offer better fuel efficiency…Because they are electrically operated, hybrids function well at any speed. Conventional gas-powered vehicles use transmissions to make their engines run at full capacity even at reduced speeds. Their fuel efficiency declines rapidly when starting, accelerating and braking.
Hybrids need less maintenance…. The motors and batteries in hybrid gas-electric vehicles do not require maintenance over the life of the vehicle. The engine doesn’t need any more maintenance than in any other car. Because hybrids have regenerative braking, brake pads may even last longer than those in normal cars.
Hybrids are kind to the environment…because they burn less gas, hybrids have lower toxic emissions than do traditional vehicles. The Toyota Prius, for example, claims to reduce tailpipe emissions by up to 90% and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50%. Scientists now agree that the toxic emissions from gas-powered engines have been a leading contributor to global warming.
Hybrids come with strong guarantees—because the auto-buying public does not yet fully trust the reliability of hybrid vehicles, manufacturer’s offer especially strong guarantees.
The Toyota Prius has an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty on the battery and hybrid systems and a three-year/36,000-mile warranty on everything else. The Honda Insight has an eight-year/80,000-mile warranty on most of the power train, including batteries, and a three-year/36,000-mile warranty on the rest of the car.
Hybrid buyers in the US get a powerful tax incentive…a Federal tax incentive can reduce your cost up to $3,400 depending on the cost of the vehicle. The tax break, however, only applies to the first 60,000 vehicles produced yearly by each manufacturer. Toyota’s Prius, for example, will quickly reach that number of sales before year-end. In addition, many states are offering their own incentives to auto buyers who choose a hybrid. Many states offer their own tax incentives or reduced fees. In Maryland and Virginia, for example, hybrid vehicles are exempt from mandatory emissions testing.
Polluted cities welcome hybrids…because conventional gas engines are a leading cause of pollution in overcrowded cities, some places are offering incentives to drivers of hybrids. Cities like Los Angeles and San Jose, California and Albuquerque, New Mexico have experimented with offering free parking at city meters to hybrid drivers. In addition, many states are experimenting with allowing single-occupant hybrids to use the carpool lanes.
While a hybrid’s advantages add up to more than just savings at the gas pump, each auto owner needs to decide for themselves whether those advantages warrant spending a little more on the initial purchase
[...] Do Hybrid Cars Offer More Than Gas Saving? Up until now, the U.S. market hasn’t really embraced hybrid cars, mostly because they come with such big price tags attached … [...]