What's the Real Deal?
First, lets get a couple
of things straight. The EPA ratings are a guesstimate.
In fact there are a number of factors which make EPA
ratings almost sure to be incorrect, such as assuming
the top speed limit is still 55. Yet, according to most
experts, the typical driver, of any car, can expect to get
about 75 percent
of what the EPA estimates.
Does this mean that
hybrids are not that much more efficient than standard,
internal combustion powered autos?
No! Perhaps the hybrid
Prius only gets 44 mpg, instead of the 55 mpg estimated
by the EPA, but the Ford Taurus or Chrysler 300 is also
only getting 75
percent of the gas mileage estimated on their EPA sticker as
well.
In reality, the facts are quite
clear. Hybrids achieve significantly better fuel
efficiency than standard autos, PERIOD.
Second, driving habits
are very important in determining fuel efficiency, and
with hybrid cars, driving habits have even more impact
on efficiency, and possibly, your choice of which hybrid
to purchase.
For example, Toyota's
Prius Hybrid Car excels at city driving, or stop-and-go
traffic - unlike standard combustion engines which
function their poorest in such conditions. Additionally,
stop-and-go traffic results in the greatest amount of
pollution. Again, something the hybrid Prius excels at
reducing in such conditions.
This is due, in part,
to what is called regenerative breaking, which actually
creates power for your Prius hybrid car as you slow and
break during traffic, saving fuel and
SIGNIFICANTLY reducing pollution. This type of power is
also created by Ford's
Escape Hybrid SUV.
On the other hand, if
highway driving is more comparable to your habits,
perhaps, the soon-to-be released Honda
Accord hybrid is more your flavor. The Accord hybrid actually achieves greater efficiency on the
highway, rather than in stop-and-go traffic.
Still, the Prius and
Escape hybrids achieve significantly better efficiency
overall, compared to standards autos, regardless of the
driving conditions.
In fact, if standard
combustion engines were rated by the EPA in terms of
stop-and-go traffic, the benefits of hybrid cars would
be even more significant.
More important,
however, is the fact that the hybrid car is not just
about fuel efficiency, it is about the future.
While Detroit has
wasted valuable resources improving the significant
safety problems of the highly profitable, gas-guzzling
SUV - including countless lawsuits - they have done
little innovation to secure future automobile market share.
Many times Detroit has pointed to the "hydrogen
economy" as the future, and a reason not to invest
in hybrid technology.
Yet, hybrid cars propel
automotive technology towards the hydrogen economy. The
batteries used by hybrids, for example, were intended for fuel cells -
an essential component of the hydrogen economy.
Therefore, investing in hybrids is also an investment in
hydrogen.
Unfortunately, Detroit
and the mainstream auto press seem to forget this fact in their short-sighted quest for immediate profit at the
expense of the future.
In just decades we have
transitioned to a world where we have to buy filtered
water and air purifiers to clean the filthy air we
breathe - not to mention terrorism, oil wars, and global
warming. The excessive waste and pollution created by
the auto industry is simply no longer excusable.
Buying a hybrid goes
beyond economics, beyond politics and nationalism. It is
a revolution of people concerned about the future and
about the welfare of their children. These people,
by-and-large, are choosing to use their most powerful
voice - to put their money where their mouth is -
by making consumer choices that help make the world a better
place, rather than just making a few rich people richer.
Join the hybrid
revolution!
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