Buying a Hybrid? What to Keep in Mind

By TreeLiving If your car has been consuming a lot of gas, you may be considering a hybrid-car that combines an internal combustion engine with one or more electric motors. There are several advantages to purchasing a hybrid car besides saving money on gas. Hybrids are considered to be ideal eco cars. Most of the hybrid variants manufactured today use the combination of internal combustion engine (ICE) and a battery operated electric system for power generation. But there are some hybrid eco cars that are powered by alternative sources of energy including liquid nitrogen and solar power. Several people in the United States look at hybrids as a way to save gas money and help with the environmental issues that come from emissions given off by standard cars. Although there are several ways to drive a non-hybrid car while controlling emissions, there are incentives to buy and own hybrids and these make it difficult for people to resist the desire to buy one. One incentive is in the form of tax rebates that the government offers on hybrid cars. Hybrid cars have indeed become very popular eco cars during the past few years. Indeed they are being pitched as the most ideal replacements for conventional cars notorious for their bad impacts on the environment. While cars running on hybrid technology are proving to be great options, it does not necessarily imply that they are ideal for all. The high cost of these vehicles is apparently the major deterrent when it comes to their purchase. If low fuel emissions make you opt for these eco cars, the price factor can make some people reconsider. A primary benefit of hybrid cars besides their eco friendly nature is efficient performance. Using a car with internal combustion engine in a city, wherein you have to brake and idle the vehicle frequently, results in fuel wastage. But the same internal combustion engine is good while driving on an open highway. In hybrid cars, you have options to switch between sources of power as needed. So you use the electrical system while driving slow in traffic and switch to the internal combustion engine when cruising on the highway – this gives these eco cars an edge over their gasoline-powered counterparts. Review both the pros and cons while buying such vehicles carefully and in the end you will surely make the right decision for both you and the planet!