Monday, October 06, 2008

Environmentally Friendly Cars

Environmentally Friendly Cars - Hybrid Cars the Road Warriors of
Tomorrow

By: Joey Lee

You are an environmentally friendly person and have all the
correct reasons to want to buy a Hybrid car. But buying hybrid
cars can be a little more complicated than that. The
complication is not whether to buy Hybrid cars but more on which
to choose from, given the maze of hybrid cars currently in the
market.

But just like in any purchasing process, there are certain
considerations to be made before you could narrow down with your
choices.

The Hybrid Car - A More Intelligent Vehicle. The nature
of hybrid cars, or hybrid electric vehicle, HEV has two energy
sources for its engines, namely electric and combustion. In an
ordinary scenario, like cruising along the highway, the Hybrid
car generally runs on one or the other of the sources, until the
driver needs more power such as greater acceleration. When this
happened, the two engines will operate in unison. Hybrid HEV
cars are low emission, fuel efficient, and this is one of the
key considerations when buying hybrid cars.

Another beauty of hybrid cars are is that they recharge their
batteries while being driven. This literally removes the
necessity of plugging the car for electricity. Unlike pure
electric cars, which need to be plugged into wall sockets to be
recharged.

Speak The Lingo. Prospective buyers should attempt to
achieve some level of understanding with terms related in buying
hybrid cars. For instance, according to the California Air
Resources Board, Ultra Low-Emission Vehicle is a car with 50
percent cleaner emission and a Super Ultra Low-Emission Vehicle
emits 90 % cleaner. There are zero-emission cars however, are
purely electric vehicles, not hybrid cars. But pure electric
cars are currently still rather cost ineffective and impractical
for full scale production.

Your Lifestyle and Travel Needs. When buying hybrid
cars, you should consider your work and home locations. Most
Hybrid cars are made for urban or suburban travel. Short trips
are most suitable for fuel savings, when hybrid cars are using
electric engines at low RPMs. Conversely, driving on a highway
or interstate travel wonâ?Tt see much of the expected fuel
reduction.

When is the Price Right. The other consideration for
consumer before finally buying hybrid cars is the cost. Hybrid
cars, are priced higher than gas-powered counterparts due to the
fact that production of hybrid cars are still in low numbers and
has more mechanically complex to build. But bear in mind that
the upfront higher cost of your hybrid will be eventually offset
over the long term by fuel saving due to higher fuel efficiency.

Tax Incentives Helps. Buying hybrid cars at present is
encouraged by the Federal State, due to the long term benefits
of limiting fuel usage. There several tax deduction for new
buyers of hybrid cars. Several cities are offering free parking
as an additional incentive for low-emissions vehicles.

This list of considerations above is by no mean exhaustive. We
have examined the factors from broad perspectives. There is
however, one key criterion you need to seriously consider when
making your buying decision, namely how a Hybrid car fit into
your lifestyle and travelling habits, whether you as an urbanite
or a trans-state person is critical in buying that hybrid car..

While it is a fact that Environmentally friendly hybrid cars
will be the new future vehicles of today's roads, the greater
question is, are you game for it yet?