Go Green And Buy A Hybrid

By Gray Rollins

These days it's cool to be green. And while the environment is always a concern, high gas prices probably have more to do with America's new found green movement than anything. No longer do we want those gas guzzlers - we want the fuel sipping hybrid cars to be the ones lining our driveways.

Even a few short years ago consumers were leery of buying and driving a hybrid. Today that's all changed. Manufacturers like Toyota, Saturn, and Honda can't make enough of them.

What makes a hybrid a hybrid? Well, basically it's a vehicle that uses more than one method for power. In the case of nearly all hybrids on the road today that means it has an electric motor supplementing its gasoline powered counterpart which is still the main means of propulsion.

Most "full" hybrids come with a feature called regenerative braking. That means when you slow down that energy is used to charge the batteries.

Another fuel saving innovation is the fact that many hybrid vehicles are simply lighter. They tend to be more aerodynamic and use lighter materials in construction.

In 2004, out of the 17 million vehicles sold there were around 80,000 hybrid vehicles sold. By 2005 that number had increased by 1.2% to 200,000, and now manufacturers can't keep up with the demand for these vehicles.

Nearly all Japanese and American auto manufacturers offer vehicles with hybrid systems. European manufacturers have been a little slower to embrace hybrid vehicles, and have been opting to make more fuel efficient diesel vehicles instead. (as long as it saves me money on gas, I really don't care what they do.)

The current king of hybrids lies with the Toyota Prius which has a population over 1 million strong.

Every year more and more hybrid models are introduced. 2010 is shaping up to be an especially good year with a slew of plug-in electric hybrid vehicles coming out. Gasoline's days are numbered.

While nobody can say for sure what will be powering our vehicles in 50 years, we can say with certainty that the hybrid is a definite part of our immediate future, and likely will remain a major player for quite some time.

About the Author:

Gray Rolins writes for FuelSavingZone. Stop by to learn about Alternative Fuels and even how to choose a commuter bike.