It is a fact that people today are now complaining about the price of gasoline. With the poor performance of the economy, who wouldn’t? Also, we see people complain about global warming and its very disturbing effects on our environment. Because of these things, more and more people are now demanding a new kind of vehicle that promises to lessen gasoline consumption as well as contribute fewer carbon emissions that is believed to contribute to global warming. These vehicles are called hybrid cars.
Now, do hybrid vehicles really do all these things?
First of all, you have to know what hybrid cars are in order for you to fully understand how it can help you save money on gasoline as well as contribute to a cleaner environment.
Hybrid vehicles are vehicles that have two types of engine that is responsible for running the car. The first is your traditional gasoline engine that uses gasoline to make the car run, and the other is an electric engine that uses electricity stored in batteries to make the car run.
So, what are the advantages of having an additional engine that runs on electricity?
The first advantage is that you will be able to save money on gas. Every year, millions of dollars worth of gasoline are wasted because of cars running idle. Now, what if you have a car that can run idle without using gasoline? Obviously, you will have a far more fuel-efficient car.
In the past, hybrid cars weren’t really very popular as it was required to be plugged into an electric outlet to charge the batteries that run the electric motor. However, thanks to the advancement of technology and more advanced batteries, the latest hybrid car models no longer needed to be plugged in.
When the batteries are getting discharged, the onboard computer will be able to detect it and automatically switch to running the gasoline engine. When the gasoline engine is running, some of the mechanical energy is converted to electrical energy which will charge the batteries that run the electric motor.
Also, unlike early versions of hybrid cars, the latest models are able to perform a lot better. In fact, some companies are now integrating this kind of technology in sports cars. So, if you think that hybrid cars are slow, you might want to think again.
Another advantage of hybrid cars is that it contributes to a cleaner environment. In fact, hybrid cars put off 90 percent less toxic fumes than your traditional car. Because hybrid vehicles don’t use a lot of gas, it will also emit less toxic fumes. As you can see, this kind of vehicle doesn’t only provide us with an outstanding fuel economy, but it will also provide us with a way to reduce pollutants that are known to contribute to global warming.
Because hybrid vehicles contribute to a cleaner environment as well as fuel economy, the government is also providing great tax incentives for hybrid car owners. So, you just won’t enjoy saving money on gas, but you will also be able to save money on taxes.
The only real disadvantage of hybrid cars is that it is more expensive than your conventional vehicle. On average, you will have to pay about five thousand dollars more on a hybrid car. But, with the savings that you will get with a hybrid vehicle, you will see that it will be a lot cheaper than conventional vehicles in the long run.
Hybrid cars live up to its promise of providing a fuel efficient car and also a car that can contribute to a cleaner environment.
