Hybrid Cars

As I’m sure most people know, a hybrid car is one that combines a traditional combustion engine with a rechargeable electric system in order to increase gas mileage and decrease harmful emissions. Hybrids are becoming more and more popular as gas prices continue to increase. While car-shopping over break, my mom and I talked with a salesperson about the Toyota Prius, and I was amazed at how far hybrid technology has come.

Premiering in Japan in 1997, The Toyota Prius was the first mass-produced hybrid car. Just over ten years later, the Prius is now the most fuel efficient car sold in the United States, and the best-selling hybrid model. Other popular hybrids include the Toyota Highlander, Honda Civic, Lexus RX 400, Ford Escape, and the Toyota Camry. From the introduction of hybrids to the U.S. market in 2000 to the year 2005, hybrid car sales increased by an amazing 2,200 percent! (www.edmunds.com list of best-selling hybrids)

Hybrid cars do not need to be plugged in like electric cars. Instead, the electric battery is recharged by capturing the kinetic energy released during braking. This is called “regenerative braking.” There are two types of hybrid cars: parallel and series. In a parallel hybrid, like the Prius, the gas engine and the electric motor work together to power the car. Alternatively, in a series hybrid the gas engine powers the electric motor, which then powers the car.

Hybrid cars also entail many environmental benefits through lower gas consumption (due to greater gas mileage) and lower emissions of chemicals that are harmful to the environment. In fact, hybrid cars produce about 90% less pollutants than similar non-hybrid cars (from www.hybrid-car.org). Hybrids produce less greenhouse gases—the gases which contribute to global warming. In a comparison of the greenhouse gas emissions of the most fuel-efficient mid-sized cars from 2004, the Chevrolet Malibu emissions totaled 8.1 tons per year, and the Nissan Altima had emissions of 7.5 tons per year, while the Toyota Prius came in at merely 3.5 tons per year (from hybrid-car.org).

Hybrids don’t only offer environmental savings, but financial savings, too. Hybrid cars maintain very low depreciation rates. A Prius with 100,000 miles on it is worth almost as much as its original price. In addition, several states have tax incentives in place to encourage people to buy hybrid cars. Many cities and states even offer benefits such as being able to use the carpool lane regardless of passenger requirements, and even free city parking! Factoring in tax incentives, lower gas consumption, and lower depreciation values, buying a more-expensive hybrid car may save you money in the long run. In fact, hybrid-car.org proposes the following scenario:

ACME Construction has a fleet of 10 work trucks that together drive 2500 miles a week, and guzzle $308 of gas a week. A new hybrid truck offered by a major manufacturer can save ACME Construction nearly $7000 per year, in gasoline costs alone.

And this was written in 2004, with gas prices around half of today’s cost—that means that “ACME Construction” could really save $14,000 per year in gas prices! Overall, the automotive trend toward hybrid cars is beneficial to both the environment and to the drivers’ pocketbooks. And, as the technology advances even more, hybrids should continue to become more and more affordable.