THE HYBRID HYPE

Author: LaChelle Neudorfer

A hybrid is not just the newest species of rose plant out on the market anymore. These days a hybrid refers to a vehicle that increases gas mileage while at the same time lowering emissions that are harmful to the environment.

Vehicles are considered hybrids when there is more than one source of power. In the case of passenger vehicles it is the combination of a gas engine and an electric motor. The gasoline powered engine and the battery-powered electric motor can both supply power to the transmission, which propels the car. The electric motor also acts as a generator and can return energy back to batteries.

So what makes this technology so important to drivers? First, since there is a secondary source of power, gasoline consumption is lowered thus lowering your overall gas bill. This is a big seller to most drivers, especially commuters. Second, the less gas your car consumes, the less the environment is polluted.

Although not regulated by the government, scientists suspect that production of CO2 into the environment is contributing to global warming. Since it is not regulated, cars do not have any way to remove CO2 from the emissions. The hybrids burn less gas, which means less CO2 and other harmful pollutants are being released into the air.

What is the actual gas savings? When comparing apples to apples, if you decide to switch from a gas powered Civic to a Civic Hybrid you will go from 34 mpg to 50 mpg. If you make a radical change from a gas guzzling Toyota Land Cruiser to a Toyota Prius Hybrid the gas mileage goes up to 56 mpg from 15mpg. If a smaller car just does not fit into your lifestyle, there are large vehicles available such as the Ford Escape Hybrid which gets 34 mpg as compared to 23 mpg for the gas powered Escape.

How much more are hybrids than their gas counterparts? Look to spend $3,000 and up more for a hybrid than if you were to purchase the standard gas powered version.

Is the initial cost worth it to you? That is something you will have to answer yourself based on your driving habits and your desire to help the environment. You can visit www.hybridcars.com and click on the Gas Mileage Impact Calculator to compare your choices. The calculator will not only give you your mpg, but it will tell you the difference in gas costs per year and the difference in the pollutants emitted per year.

Click on Cars and you can see which hybrids are available now and what cars are going to be coming out in the future.