Why Buy a Hybrid?

By: Johan Young

Due to the rising cost of fuel and the environmental damage it causes to our planet, many car owners or buyers are looking for an alternative way to save money. Due to this more and more people are considering the option of buying hybrid vehicles rather than the conventional four-door and SUV.

Hybrid technology has highly-developed in the recent years. With lower cost of production and new hybrid car technology being developed, why buy a hybrid car is becoming affordable to everyone.

There some reasons why buy a hybrid car:

Why Buy a Hybrid? Hybrid Cars Saves Gas

Full hybrid vehicles have computers on board to determine the most effective way to economize energy and fuel. Combining the cleaner energy of an electric motor with the long range capacity of a gasoline engine allows a hybrid car to save as much as 30 miles a gallon. One feature of hybrid cars is that they can move using their batteries alone for power. While the vehicle is idling or coasting the engine is shuts off. They can also use a combination of these power sources for efficiency.  They break power paths that enable them to switch between using mechanical or electrical power.

Why Buy a Hybrid? Hybrid Cars Are Environment Friendly

Apart from using a different power source these vehicles can also use different fuels. They can use a mixture of crude oil and biofuels. Other hybrid vehicles can also be reloaded through a standard electric wall socket.

Hybrid vehicles save on gas which leads to less greenhouse emissions. They have also been noted to reduce disturbance emissions. The use of electric power decreases the wear on the engine. Different than what some believe their batteries are not hazardous materials and can be reprocessed. These batteries are also long-lasting and rarely need replacement.

Hybrids are perfect for the suburbs. In this area you do not really need H.P. (horsepower) but gasoline mileage. Hybrids can recharge themselves when braking and only use the needed power in idle periods such as traffic. In reality you don’t really need a huge amount of H.P. when driving around in the city traffic.

These vehicles also contribute to the general health of the public. Emissions don’t only contribute to the greenhouse effect but also to respiratory diseases. For now, hybrid vehicles are expensive. The technology is still fairly new in the fuel dependent automobile industry.

Why Buy a Hybrid? Hybrid Cars Tax Incentives

Not until there are. Due to world political pressures around the world to reduce greenhouse emissions, President Bush signed an agreement in 2005 to provide huge tax relief to hybrid car buyers. The tax incentive varies by model and are based on two factors

1. How fuel efficient the hybrid car is compared to a conventional car in 2002 with the same weight class.

2. How much gasoline the hybrid car can save in its lifetime compared with an equivalent conventional car

So, those who purchase hybrid cars can get significant tax breaks from the Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit (the name given to the tax credit for hybrid vehicles), is applicable to vehicles bought or put on the road after January 1, 2006.

Finally, hybrids really give us many advantages. As more of these cars take to the road, our air will become cleaner, and our country will be less dependent on foreign sources of oil. And government will give us tax deduction.