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What is a Hybrid Car?With the price of gas on the rise over the last 18 months, hybrid cars have taken on an almost mythical quality, promising to save us gas and money and reduce our dependance on foreign oil. But for those of use new to the game, what is a hybrid car? How do hybrid cars work? Let's start with what a hybrid is: Any vehicle is a hybrid when it combines two or more sources of power. Hybrid cars run off a rechargeable battery and gasoline. The battery of a hybrid is charged under normal driving conditions - you don't have to plug one in to recharge it (those are electric cars, totally different - electric cars use huge batteries and need to be plugged in to recharge the batteries - they don't use gas and don't have a gas engine). It uses the battery to provide extra acceleration power when needed. When the car is stopped, hybrid gasoline motors can shut off and run off their electric motor and battery. Hyrbid cars are quiet, too, since when operating under battery power, there is no engine idle sound, no sound of a revving engine, no rough idle.
Facts About Hybrid CarsAs noted above, hybrid gas-electric vehicles don't need to be plugged in to recharge - they are charged while driving. And they DO need gasoline, just like a normal car. The difference is that they get better gas mileage since the battery electric power helps reduce the amount of power needed from burning gasoline. Regenerative braking is used to recapture part of the cars energy of momentum and turns it into chemical energy in the battery. Who buys hybrid cars? While they do get good gas mileage, they also cost more than normal cars, so there is no immediate savings from fuel efficiency, and it is questionable whether a hybrid is really cheaper than a normal car in the long run. Many people buy hybrid cars as a social statement (think Hollywood) about how socially conscious they are, about how committed to the environment they are, etc. If you think you will save a bunch of money by owning a hybrid car, run the numbers yourself before buying one. Another issue related to hybrids is battery replacement. It has been rumored that battery replacement is a costly, routine occurence.Fact is, with proper charging techniques used by todays manufacturers, hybrid batteries may well last 100,000 miles and beyond, making any replacement expense relatively minor, compared to having a traditional engine rebuilt, for example. The main additional expense if the upfront premium you pay for the car, which is currently about $2000-$5000. When it comes to driving performance, many people also confuse electric cars (slow acceleration, not much horsepower) with gas-electric hybrid cars. A hybrid has a normal gas engine, and performance can easily be equivalent to normal gas-powered cars. Who Makes Hybrid Cars - List of Hybrid Car ModelsThe most popular and efficient hybrid cars are the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, and Insight. Prices range from about $20K to $50K, depending on make and size of model. $30K will comfortably get you into a nice Prius. Toyota is also adding hybrid Camrys and additional models to their normal lineup of automobiles. There should be 50-70 different hybrids to choose from in the next fews years. Here is a list of current hybrid cars:
Used Hybrid CarsEarly hybrid cars began selling the US around 2000, meaning each year there are more and more used hybrid cars available on the market. Apart from the replacement battery issue, buying a used hybrid is pretty much the same experience as buying a normal used car. You should get the car inspected by a mechanic you trust. You should get a CarFax report on the vehicle to see if it has been involved in accidents or other problems. You should look for the lowest mileage possible - your goal is to buy a car from someone who has several cars and who spreads their annual driving mileage around 2 or 3 cars - a 4 year old car with 120,000 miles on is a car that has been driven non-stop everyday -- you'd much rather have a 60K car and have those extra 60K miles for YOUR use over the next 5 or 8 years. On the issue of electric batteries, there is not a lot of data on replacement rates or cost yet - but in a worst case scenario, plan on $3K or so and replacement at 120K miles. You may well get 150K out of the batteries, but who knows. Some hybrids, like the Prius, have held their resale value very well. But like all new cars, there is a lot of depreciation within the first 12-36 months - so you WILL get a cheaper car by buying a used one - again, the goal is a low-mileage model that has been well cared for. Don't get too emotionally attached to a cars color, radio, etc. Engine mileage and overall maintenance is much more important to you in the long run, and you are better off waiting 3-4 months to find the right car than settling for something else in the first few weeks of shopping.
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