You may have seen a zipper in the past that high occupancy lane, a lone driver at the wheel. This is a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle and driving in the HOV lane is just one of the benefits of ownership in many states. But what is a hybrid? How it works Is it the right car for you and your family?
A hybrid vehicle has both a gasoline engine and battery. The battery is recharged by the gasoline engine power, which would normally be lost during braking or decelerating. The car uses either the battery or the gasoline engine depending on several factors, including the car is how fast they travel. Sometimes, both work together to provide an extra boost of energy without using too much extra fuel.
The result of this technology is cars that get better gas mileage and produce less carbon dioxide emissions than traditional gasoline-powered cars. For example, according to Honda, the 2006 Civic Hybrid gets 50 miles per gallon on the highway, 14 miles per gallon better than the 2003 regular Civic. When driven to the national average of 12,000 miles, which represents a savings of 69 gallons of gasoline and 258 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
In the early days of hybrid cars, there are few models to choose from. Persons wishing to buy a hybrid car were stuck in small cars with little cargo space. Today, however, manufacturers produce hybrid cars and light trucks in nearly every category including family-sized cars, SUVs and minivans. The smallest cars still get better gas mileage, but larger hybrids consistently outperform their regular siblings in gas mileage and emissions of carbon dioxide.
Unfortunately, hybrid cars cost more than regular models. In the case of Honda Civic 2006, the hybrid model costs almost $ 7,000 more than the regular model. Congress passed a law providing tax credits for hybrid owners, which came into force on 1 January 2006, which would save the buyer of a 2006 Civic Hybrid $ 2100. It would take several years to reach equilibrium in the purchase of a hybrid counting gasoline savings alone. However, many hybrid owners are as dedicated to the environmental benefits of driving a hybrid as they are for the money they save.
One of the fears when hybrid cars available for the first time was that the maintenance and insurance costs would be prohibitive. Research has shown that regular maintenance costs for hybrid vehicles are higher than for ordinary vehicles. Also, hybrid owners are less likely to be involved in accidents and some insurance companies have begun offering discounts to hybrid owners.
