"Help The Planet, Save Money & Brag About It"

What use are hybrid cars for pollution reduction? I have one, and since I am still using electric, aren’t I using just as much fossil fuel? I only bought it really because I got a big tax break and I needed a new car. I don’t see how it is better for the planet.

Well its quite simple, simply because you are getting better gass mileage, you are using less gas than the average person.

less gas = less pollution

the electricity in a hybrid car is generated from reginerative breaking and the alternator.

Thank you for the explanation. I truly didn’t know how it worked-I run a daycare, that doesn’t involve having any knowledge of how fancy schmancy cars work!

Single, you’re not the only one who didn’t understand this. I don’t drive personally so I never needed to look into this, but I thought that the battery as an alternative power source had to be charged separate from the car, not as part of the normal running of the car. Every day is a school day as they say!

There is a push for plug-in addons for the prius for instance. Its basically an aftermarket addon that you can use to plug your hybrid into any typical electrical outlet.

Now this doesnt make much sence if you are not using some sort of alternative energy to generate your electricity.

And that was my original thought, how silly it was. Electricity is electricity right? Unless it comes from something like your hydrogen machine. The add ons seem like just another political trick, they aren’t really any good for anything but a distraction.

I really didn’t know all this either, so this thread was really helpful to me. I dont’ know many people with hybrid cars, only 2, and I’m pretty sure that even they don’t completely understand how their cars work!

Well I would have known more if I had read the book that came with the car. I am terrible for that-people around me joke that I am a total bloke because of the fact that whenever I buy something that is self assembly, or when I get a new gadget, I just jump in there and start using it without ever reading about it!

Its funny, but I just read something the other day that looked at the difference between using and electric car VS. a regular car.

The fact is, even if you use an electric car that gets its electricity from coal driven plants, the net environmental impact is much less than a regular car buring gasoline.

The pollution from a coal electrical plant is much less than the “oil machine”.

So a hybrid that you can also plugin, is an excelent idea regardless of weather you are using an alternative energy or not. Of course the alternative energy option would be better though.

Hybrid cars are more expensive though. I guess it would help you in gas costs in the long run though.

Yes they are more expensive, but think about how much you would save in gasoline not to mention the $4000+ that you get in tax credits in the US.

That tax credit plus a savings of about $1000 per year on gasoline, if you run the numbers it really does start to make sence.

Personally Im holding out for either a plugin hybrid or an all electric vehicle.

I have heard the complete opposite. From what I have heard is taht it will take you about 10 years for you to come out even with money. For the mount you pay for the car its just not worth it.

Re: Hybrid Cars

I’ve heard about the tax break on the hybrid cars, and am definitely getting one when I can pony up the money. The Gas savings is astronomical, tell me, is it easy to recharge the battery, or do you even have to do that? I know the car generates some recharging on its own, but is that all it needs?

What type of tax breaks do you get for owning a hybrid car?  Is it really worth it?

this is a political/ big busines problem , if there was any real will by governments and giant business interests, all new cars would be hybrid there is nothing else standing in the way

It does seem that if the hybrid is so good for the environment the government would require more manufactures producing them.