5 Hybrid Car Myths Debunked

There are numerous myths and urban legends circulating on hybrid cars, and they die hard! Here are five of the most tenacious hybrid cars myths, debunked.

Hybrid Cars Are Less Powerful

While the first models of hybrids did lack in power, the newer, modern models have nothing to envy to their gas powered cousins; their performance is only increasing. According to Carsdirect.com, the Lexus GS 450h has more than 300 horsepower and can beat many gas powered vehicles in a 0 to 60 road test. And that says nothing of the myriad of performance-oriented hybrids, like the Porsche 918, on the horizon.

Hybrid Cars Are The Greenest of the Greens

Sadly, this is a myth too. While they undoubtedly reduce your gas consumption, hybrid cars are manufactured at a high ecological cost. The making of their battery, among other of their components, is extremely polluting and necessitate rare earth metals. The exploitation of rare earth is one of the most polluting industries on the planet.

Hybrid Cars Are Too Expensive

Granted, if you compare a hybrid with an equivalent gas powered car, the price will be slightly higher. But saying that hybrid are significantly and systematically more expensive is simply wrong. Truth is, hybrids, just like regular cars, come in a whole range of sizes and prices. Not to mention that, with all the money saved on gas, the investment is quickly made profitable. Here is a list of the 10 best hybrid values on the market.

You Need Practice to Learn How To Drive Them

For some reason, some people are lead to believe that hybrid cars are tricky to drive, that you must trigger some kind of complicated device in order to switch from gas to electricity. In fact, you don’t do anything differently when you drive a hybrid then when you drive a gas powered vehicle. You just buckle up, turn on your engine, press on the accelerator and drive. Your hybrid car itself will decide which power source is best, electric or gas.

Hybrid Cars Must be Plugged In

Hybrids rely on two power sources: Gas and electricity. When you run out of electricity, gas will take over and the battery will recharge itself, just like a conventional car’s battery recharge itself when the engine is running. Plug-in hybrids do require being plugged in to recharge their batteries, but conventional hybrids do not. Pretty self-explanatory, right?

Hopefully this has helped debunk some of the myths surrounding hybrid cars. Pretty soon, with gas prices only going up, we may all drive a hybrid of one kind or another.

Source: Gas2.0