What Exactly Is A Hybrid Car?
We are all concerned about the environment and doing our part to take care of it. Of all the purchases we make,
the purchase that will have the greatest impact on the environment will be the car we decide to buy. Hybrid cars are an affordable and innovative way to help protect our environment and benefit from the increased fuel mileage.
Only a few years ago talk of hybrid cars had consumers stepping back unsure; but today hybrids offer a practical choice for consumers, and more and more consumers are jumping on board.
A hybrid car has a small engine that is fuel efficient, which is combined with an electric motor that aids the engine when additional power is needed during acceleration. The electric motor gets its power from battery banks which continuously charge while you are driving.
Energy is conserved when you stop because the engine is shut off automatically. Then, when you apply gas, it automatically restarts.
The hybrid car also uses a more advanced aerodynamic lightweight body, and combines it with low roll resistant tires that are stiffer and narrower to help reduce drag.
In 2004, out of the 17 million vehicles sold there were around 80,000 hybrid vehicles sold. By 2005 that number had increased by 1.2% to 200,000, and it’s estimated that by 2007 more than 400,000 hybrids will be sold.
There are several hybrids currently available in North America. They include the Honda Civic, Honda Accord, Honda Insight, Toyota Prius,
and the Mercury Mariner. There are also Hybrid SUVs available – the Ford Escape, the Lexas 400H and the Toyota Highlander.
The Toyota Prius holds 52% of the hybrid market with just under 108,000 vehicles. The Honda Civic is the next most popular with 25,000 vehicles.
Now that consumer support for the hybrids has arrived, auto manufacturers are increasing the pace at which they introduce hybrid models. In 2006,
the Honda CR V SUV, Saturn Vue, Hyundai Accent, and Kia Rio are being introduced as hybrid models. In 2007 we will see the Toyota Camry,
Honda Fit, Mazda Tribute, Chevrolet Malibu, and Nissan Altima; and 2008 will see the Ford Fusion and Mercury Millan available as hybrids.
And as an added bonus in the United States, consumers that purchase a hybrid will get a tax break. Those purchasing fuel-cell vehicles will get up to
$8000 in tax breaks, and those purchasing alternative fuel vehicles that weigh less than 8,500 pounds get a $2500 tax break. It’s a nice pleasant surprise!
If we had a crystal ball that could see into the future, there’s a good chance that what we’d see 20 years down the road would be freeways, highways, and streets that were full of hybrid vehicles.
In fact, it’s likely that our gas guzzling vehicles of today are about to go the way of the dinosaur as more hybrid cars make it to market.
We are all concerned about the environment and doing our part to take care of it. Of all the purchases we make, the purchase that will have the greatest impact on the environment will be the car we decide to buy.
Hybrid cars are an affordable and innovative way to help protect our environment and benefit from the increased fuel mileage.
Only a few years ago talk of hybrid cars had consumers stepping back unsure; but today hybrids offer a practical choice for consumers, and more and more consumers are jumping on board.
A hybrid car has a small engine that is fuel efficient, which is combined with an electric motor that aids the engine when additional
power is needed during acceleration. The electric motor gets its power from battery banks which continuously charge while you are driving.
Energy is conserved when you stop because the engine is shut off automatically. Then, when you apply gas, it automatically restarts.
The hybrid car also uses a more advanced aerodynamic lightweight body, and combines it with low roll resistant tires that are stiffer and narrower to help reduce drag.
In 2004, out of the 17 million vehicles sold there were around 80,000 hybrid vehicles sold. By 2005 that number had increased by 1.2% to 200,000, and it’s estimated that by 2007 more than 400,000 hybrids will be sold.
There are several hybrids currently available in North America. They include the Honda Civic, Honda Accord, Honda Insight,
Toyota Prius, and the Mercury Mariner. There are also Hybrid SUVs available – the Ford Escape, the Lexas 400H and the Toyota Highlander.
The Toyota Prius holds 52% of the hybrid market with just under 108,000 vehicles. The Honda Civic is the next most popular with 25,000 vehicles.
Now that consumer support for the hybrids has arrived, auto manufacturers are increasing the pace at which they introduce hybrid models.
In 2006, the Honda CR V SUV, Saturn Vue, Hyundai Accent, and Kia Rio are being introduced as hybrid models. In 2007 we will see the Toyota Camry,
Honda Fit, Mazda Tribute, Chevrolet Malibu, and Nissan Altima; and 2008 will see the Ford Fusion and Mercury Millan available as hybrids.
And as an added bonus in the United States, consumers that purchase a hybrid will get a tax break. Those purchasing fuel-cell vehicles will get up to
$8000 in tax breaks, and those purchasing alternative fuel vehicles that weigh less than 8,500 pounds get a $2500 tax break. It’s a nice pleasant surprise!
If we had a crystal ball that could see into the future, there’s a good chance that what we’d see 20 years down the road would be freeways, highways,
and streets that were full of hybrid vehicles. In fact, it’s likely that our gas guzzling vehicles of today are about to go the way of the dinosaur as more hybrid cars make it to market.
The Most Effective Way To Compare Hybrid Cars
Sure, hybrid cars are hot nowadays. And sure, this is not only a fad that would lose its appeal later on, because of the technology, gas mileage, and overall environmental concerns that it simultaneously tries to resolve.
So before you rush to your dealer, try researching on the different hybrid cars available in the market today. At the very least, compare hybrid cars using several factors.
We can start with some of the hybrid cars models currently available and are worth comparing. There is the Toyota Prius,
the Honda Insight, the Honda Civic Hybrid, and the Honda Accord Hybrid. These are the four major hybrid cars available at dealers in your place today.
Your choice is also much improved with the availability of the Ford Escape Hybrid. This was the first hybrid SUV available. But you also have a choice with Lexus RX 400h, Toyota Highlander and the Mariner Hybrid.
First consideration is the mileage
Vehicles sold in the United States to day, on the average, gets a combined highway and city EPA fuel usage estimate of some 20.4 miles per gallon (mpg). All hybrid cars, hard as you compare, have EPA number well above than what specified earlier.
Honda Insight was particularly manufactured to obtain the best mileage, making it the undisputed leader in terms of gas mileage.
The traditional manual transmission hybrids have EPA estimates of 60 mpg in the city and 66 mpg on the highway. The automatic version on the other hand has transmission rated slightly lower at 57 city/56 highway.
The second best choice is the newest version of the Prius at 60 city/51 highway. It can be seen that the city estimate is higher than the highway estimate due to this hybrid car’s capacity to operate on battery power alone at low speeds.
The 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid was available with a manual transmission that was rated at 46 city/51 highway; the automatic at 48 city/47 highway. Hybrid sedan is rated at 25 city/28 highway.
Compared with other hybrid cars, SUV’s, like GS450h, get the lowest gas mileage of the hybrid vehicles. The Ford Escape on he other hand is rated at 36 city/31 highway. This is much better than a non-hybrid Escape that is only rated at 22 city/25 highway.
Size does matter
Another point to consider if must compare hybrid cars is the size. With earlier models, hybrid cars only came in two sizes. First is the small sized vehicle.
The second is the much smaller one. But hybrid manufacturers are learning to respond with the consumer’s specific needs.
And because these manufacturers somehow know that the consumers had learned how to compare hybrid cars, all of them are putting some improvements.
But let’s go back to the size consideration. When considering size of a particular hybrid car number of passengers and typical loads you may be transporting.
The Honda Civic Hybrid is a compact sedan. It has five seats and has a general is outside look comparable to that of non-hybrid Civic.
The interior is the same size, although the trunk of this hybrid is slightly smaller to accommodate the battery. For 2006 edition, it was redesigned, and now has a more slender and sporty overall look.
The Prius 2000-2003 models have 5 passenger compact capacity, and was redesigned in 2004 and evolved into a mid-size category car. This comparatively larger edition includes a versatile hatch back.
The Price
For price, below is a means to compare currently available hybrid cars. It’s not a clear-cut pricing table, but at least you have an idea.
2006 Toyota Prius, $21,2745
> 2006 Honda Insight, $19,330 manual transmission; $21,530 for automatic
> 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid, $21,850
> 2007 Lexus GS 450h, $54,900
> 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid, $25,900
> 2006 Honda Accord Hybrid, $30,140
For SUV:
> 2006 Ford Escape hybrid begins at $27,515 for the two-wheel drive version and $28,595 for four-wheel drive.
> Saturn VUE Green Line Hybrid SUV (summer 2006) $23,995.
> 2006 Lexus RX400h $49,060.
> 2006 Mariner Hybrid $29,840
> 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid $33,030 for the two-wheel drive; $34,430 for four-wheel drive.
The Look
The last consideration is the appearance. You can choose a hybrid car that looks like the other available models, or you may want to be totally different. Anyway, this one of the few reasons why hybrids are hot today and was able to penetrate the American market successfully within a short period of time.
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