Hybrid Cars: Pros and Cons

Hybrid cars are quite popular and year after year the car market is getting filled with newer hybrid models that seem to be replacing the older-fuel vehicle versions we know today. Some people even say that in the future, the ideal situation would be that all cars could be hybrid and run on energy instead of fuel.

Although these vehicles have turned out to be quite popular, over 5 million electric vehicles have been sold in the past two decades according to the Department of Energy in the US. Nevertheless, there are some problems with hybrid cars that no one is talking about. Often people think of it as an investment in the long run as they would use less fuel and spend less money on gas; in the same way, people think that using a hybrid car can help a lot the environment, but of course, there is a catch.

Hybrid vs Electric, is there a difference?

The answer is yes, hybrid cars might use a combination of gasoline and electric charge, they might have a traditional gasoline engine and an electric motor; while the electric vehicle uses only electric power to charge, and does not include any type of gasoline engine. Some examples of an electric vehicle are the entire Tesla designs, which don’t require any gasoline; unlike the Hybrid you can find tons of designs for this car type such as the Honda Insight, the Toyota Prius, and many others. 

Car Batteries, are they better than gasoline?

The million dollar question! Most hybrid vehicles operate on lithium-ion batteries, while the older models might still use nickel-metal based hybrid batteries. Nevertheless, these are rare earth metals, and the exploitation of these materials through mining can algo be quite as energy consuming as the machines that burn diesel fuel. Both processes require lots of energy in order to function and the waste of resources that is spent in both areas is equally damaging for the environment. Aside from the use of resources while harvesting both earth metals and burning diesel, the actual process of making thebaterry can have quite an environmental impact that no one really thinks about.

Benefits

  1. Multi-Engine Power

The great part about hybrids is that it comes with two engines, one for gasoline and one for a powerful electric charge.

  1.  Weirdly Quiet

It is one of the best parts of having a hybrid vehicle, the fact that when you start the car it is so silent that you might not even notice that it is already on.

  1. No Emissions Tests Required

When you register your car, you don’t need an emission test to be completed.Certain laws might apply differently from regular cars, and this might be to your advantage.

Problems

  1. Not All Hybrids Are Equal

Some hybrids work differently from others, and this might be a disadvantage if you are thinking of buying a new hybrid model and changing from your current one. Some are not full hybrids, and instead, they are mild hybrids. Some cars can not run on the electric motor alone, while others can. Make sure you check beforehand about the characteristics of your vehicle.

  1. Third Row Hybrids, where are they?

Most hybrids are pretty basic two-row cars. Of course, there are few options for hybrid vehicles with third-row seating, nevertheless, the models for this option are slim to none, and this might be inconvenient.

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