Ortega Times
Hybrids of the FutureWednesday, March 07, 2012 By Christian Alvarez
Have you ever considered purchasing a hybrid vehicle? If so, then I have a few facts you might want to know before settling for some gas guzzler that you will regret buying. Even if you haven’t, I have a few fun facts you might find interesting. A hybrid vehicle is a combination of a regular fuel vehicle and an electric vehicle. These vehicles use much less fuel than their counterparts and produce less emission. Hybrid vehicles recharge their batteries by capturing the energy made by braking friction. Some hybrids use the combustion engine to generate electricity by spinning a generator to either recharge the battery or directly feed power to an electric motor that drives the vehicle. This takes place when cruising or in other situations where just light thrust is needed. You may notice the new hybrid cars have a higher (MPG) city than highway which is opposite of most cars, and this is because of the regenerative breaking systems. I did a little research and discovered that hybrid cars are exceptionally more expensive than a normal car. A regular automatic Honda civic would be $16,605 (with no added features of course,) but if you were to get the same model as a hybrid it would cost you $24,050. While you may be saving on gas, it’s an extra eight thousand dollars. A normal car battery goes for about $80, a main hybrid battery replacement costs $1,999, and the 12 volt auxiliary replacement costs $199. Even if you do get better gas mileage, it may be a hassle to manage. Here are a few more favorable aspects of the hybrid car. In California if you have a red, blue, or white, emissions sticker, you are able to use the HOV lane (most commonly known as the carpool lane) as an extra incentive to drive a hybrid. Driving a hybrid is also very good because of the lower emissions it produces. These are your choices: fuel efficient hybrid, or regular fuel vehicle. I gave you the information. The choice is yours. |