what are the pros and cons of driving a hybrid?

Question

are hybrids safe for our environment? This may be seperate questions but I am wondering if my next car should be a hybrid and if there are more cons to buying a hybrid than I am aware of?

Answer 1

Insurance is about the same as a regular car.

Maintenance is about the same as a regular car - use your favorite mechanic or DIY.

Same gasoline as a regular car...

Depending on model, many hybrids are holding high resale values (mainly the fuel-economy hybrids as opposed to the power hybrids).

Pros:
* Depending on where you live, tax incentives (income tax credit for US federal, some states or Canadian provinces offer income tax credits/deductions or sales tax reductions),or single-occupant HOV lane privilages (CA, VA, FL, NY), or reduced tolls (NY) or free parking...
* better HP and acceleration than a comparable car
* better (lower) emissions than a comparable car
* better fuel economy than a comparable car
* own a neat techy car
* long warranty (depending on model, the hybrid battery or system is warrantied in the US a minimum of 8 years/80,000 miles, up to the AT-PZEV models in CA-emission states out to 10 years/150,000 miles, and it is NOT pro-rated but a full coverage.)
* you do not plug it in (charges off of the gasoline engine and recapurted kinetic energy while braking)

Cons:
* slightly higher initial purchase price
* own a neat techy car (should you need unscheduled maintenance, you're mainly stuck paying dealer rates)
* many ill-informed people stopping you and asking questions about your car, telling you untruths about your own car, or even telling you how stupid you were for buying it...
* you cannot plug it in


Here's the 2004 Toyota Prius Green Report (life cycle assessment):
http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/k_forum/tenji/pdf/pgr_e.pdf
(you'll need to download the Japanese fonts for your PDF reader in order to read it, but the entire document is written in English.)

Over the lifespan of the Prius, when compared to a comparable mid-sized gasoline vehicle, the Prius comes out ahead in the life cycle assessment (LCA) for airborne emissions for CO2, NOx, SOx, HC, but actually does worse for PM (thanks to the material and vehicle production stages). Lifespan is given as 10 years use/100,000km. The CO2 break-even point for the 2004 Prius compared to this unnamed gasoline vehicle is given at 20,000km. (more CO2 is emitted during Prius production, but the Prius makes up for it over it's driven lifetime.)

Another neat thing is that the Prius is one of the first uses of Toyota's Eco-Plastic (plastic made from plants, as opposed to petroleum products). The battery is recycleable (NiMH), as is much of the car (steel and aluminum body, for example).


If you are looking for a US-produced hybrid:
The Ford Escape hybrid/Mercury Mariner hybrid are made in Kansas City, MO.
This fall the Toyota Camry hybrid is moving production to the Georgetown, KY plant.


I've never seen anyone do a cost-benefit analysis for a v4 vs v6 vs diesel engine, so why do one for a hybrid drivetrain? Most cost analysis articles neglect trade-in value which the Prius does very well in maintaining. (in some areas, used Prius are still selling for new prices for availability and rising gasoline prices!). Don't forget to include federal and any state tax incentives in your calculation (Consumer Reports forgot, and had to issue a retraction that hybrids are cheaper to own/operate than their gasoline cousins). Edmunds.com still doesn't take into account the true depreciation value (as seen by manually looking for a Prius trade-in value) when calculating their TCO, but they still say that hybrids will pay for themselves even when using their lower than actual trade-in amounts: http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/08/22/bc.autos.hybrids.reut/index.html

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

Pros- outstanding gas mileage
Cons- besides the fact that you will look completly retarded in your prius or worse off anything by honda, you are not really doing anything to help the environment in the long run because these vehicles are produced in other countries where EPA restrictions don't exist, and shipped over here on huge boats that spit out tons of deisel exhaust. A solution to problem would be... go out and purchase an older vehicle, possibly around 1975 or 76. Then throw a huge motor in it, around 460ci or higher (which is a 7.5 litre) then, remove the smog canisters, install a 4 barrell high flow carb, cut off the muffler, and strait pipe it. Drive around with it really rich on low quality gas, you will be accomplishing the same as if you bought a hybird. Or you could just stick with your current quality, american vehicle (hopefully) and circumvent all this hassle. If you don't belive me google search..."hybrids are auctually bad for the environment"

Answer 4

Well, like with everything, the answer is "yes and no."

A hybrid does what it does and it does result in less combustion emissions being released to the environemnt as you drive.

However, you still burn gasoline and that still causes the same bad things to get into the environment. But, the advocates say, what about charging the battery from the line current in the house? That does not burn gasoline, they say! Right, it doesn't, but where does that electricity come from? Coal fired or gas fired power plants which put the same greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. A nuclear power plant only contributes to the heating of the environment, but there is the problem with the waste... and most I know who advocate hybrids also are against nuclear but are unwilling to cut their power soncumption by the 20% nuclear provides in the USA...

All you are doing by driving a hybrid is shift the source of gtrenhouse gasses and emissions from the vehicle to the stationary power plants if you use house line current to charge your batteries, or you still burn the same fuels which cause the same emissions.

And then, consider the cost of the replacement battery you will need in a few years. If you do take great care to treat your battery well, it will die a premature death and then what, you replace it of course, at a substantial cost.

bottom line: you do not make out better regarding the environment either way. The energy to move the vehicle comes from somewhere. The 1st law of thermodynamics says you can't get something for nothing, i.e., you can't win. The 2nd law says you can't break even, there are always losses (to friction) you can't recover. And, the 3rd law says you can't get out of the game, because that is the way the universe works. No matter what you do, something is going to burn a fuel to generate the electricity which makes the hybrid move, and that burned fuel makes greenhouse gasses and other emissions.

Answer 5

technically they are "safer" or less harmful to our environment. they will still put out emissions but far less than your typical sedan or whatever. big cons are lack of power. some hybrids offer in excess of 240HP but they also cost around 40k. the cheaper honds or toyotas are lacking power but if you;re not a race car driver (i.e. aggressive driver) than it really doesn't matter. instead of worrying about one power source, you know hoave to contend with two. depending on the car maker, most you can plug in over night to recharge, others the braking mechanism does some recharging. either way, it's another thing to add to your memory banks and your to-do list. must make sure that both fuel sources are good otherwise if one runs out, you can still make it on the other source, asssuming that is you remembered to refill it up. of those I have heard, seen or actually bought a hybrid. they don;t generally have any "real" problems with it aside from the usual maintenance or whatever. mileage is never an issue with them but stuff like moving things or being the designated driver often proves an issue. again, nothing major about them just more along the lines of convenience really. but in this day and age, with gas prices as they are, would make very good sense to get these regardless as the gas you pay is what kills you the most. stay away from hydrogen cars for now.

Answer 6

If enough people drove them it certainly would change the world. Lessen the dependence on foreign oil, the need to drill in wildlife reserves, reduce pollution, carbon emission, global warming, increase air quality, longer life expectancy, many good things.

Not sure about saving money as most hybrids cost more to start with and you'll generally need to drive them for a few years before you actually save money.

I do think they are a good idea. I don't think they look gay. I personally would be impressed with someone who bought a hybrid.

With regards to an earlier post, the eclectic power for most all hybrids is generated by engaging the brakes on the car itself, the electric power does not come from the conventional power grid.

Answer 7

Hybrids are still a little pricey. If you are concerned over the environment buy a low emission vehicle. Most Hondas are ultra low emissions.

Answer 8

The pros are that you save some gas. The cons is that you will so look gay, and when I say gay I mean full blown San Fransisco like the smell of your own farts butt plugging gay. I guess thats for a guy, it would be ok for a chic but I think you should buy a truck. Dykes go for trucks, and if you don't believe me check out the website. Chics on chics are hot.

Answer 9

Pros- great mileage and helps the environment. Cons- low power

Answer 10

One of the biggest unknown cons is the price of repairs once the warranty ends.