Hybrid Car Myths

Posted by | Posted on 12:12 AM

By Colin Jones

If you are thinking about a hybrid car, you may be hearing quite a bit of "gossip". Some people think the hybrid car is the best thing since sliced bread. Other people say it'll just pass. Yet other people again say they think they can save a packet, but you're not sure it's really worth it. What's the truth, and how do you separate fact from fiction with all of the stuff that is being thrown at you? Below, you can read and consider the usual hybrid car myths.

Hybrid cars are the same as electric cars: This is untrue since hybrid vehicles are fuel-powered for the most part. However they have what are called 'battery assists'. The assist is powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery pack that is rechargeable.

You are guaranteed to save money with a hybrid car: If you are doing city driving, you may save fuel and you may not. The same goes for long-distance driving. There are just too many different factors involved. It has been said that if everyone bought hybrid cars, the gas consumption would decrease by just 10%. That's not a very big decline, is it?

A hybrid cars battery can run out: A hybrid car battery should not run flat while you are actually driving it. The engine of a hybrid car does not idle when stopped (at a red light for example). What does it do instead then? It recharges its battery. So there's no need to worry about a hybrid car stopping on that score.

A hybrid car's rechargeable battery lasts only for two years: A hybrid car certainly would not be worth purchasing if this was the case. A hybrid vehicle's rechargeable batteries usually come with an eight-year guaranty.

If I run out of fuel, I can keep driving on the hybrid car battery: Keep in mind, a hybrid car's battery is an assist. That means that hybrid car's still run on fuel. After you run out of gas, the battery may keep the car running for a little while. However, the car will stop running very soon.

Hybrid vehicles will soon put conventional car dealers out of business: This probably won't happen anytime soon. The reason for the delay has to do with the how much a hybrid cars cost. Many people just can't afford one. Also, people just aren't too sure whether they will really save money on a hybrid car. Therefore, they are slow to join the rush of people who want to own a hybrid car.

Hybrid cars will only save you about $88 a year: I did hear something on the news about this one day, but it may be untrue. If there's something you really want though, and there's a lot of smoke surrounding it, you simply have to start digging and do some of your own research. There are many different models of hybrid car, and many different manufacturers make them. This means that there may be many more variables involved than the ones discussed here. A hybrid car may help you, and it may not, but the final decision is all yours.

So, don't worry too much about what people say. Do your own research and make up your own mind. Use the Internet to get information. The manufacturer's advertising is also useful, if you stick to reading the facts and gloss over the hype. Check that what the literature claims is also in the guarantee.

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