Don't be Gas Dependent - Choose a Hybrid

Oil will not last forever!

 

Gas prices have sky-rocketed over the past 5 years. Due to the greatly increased prices, it can

 

take as much as $50 and $60 dollars to fill a tank with gasoline, an amount never dreamt of a

 

few years ago. Americans have been dependent on gas for many decades, and with supplies of this

 

non-renewable resource diminishing and the pollution conventional vehicles put into the

 

environment, the auto industry has had to look for solutions to the problems associated with

 

gas dependency. The main solution is the hybrid car, a fuel-efficient, environmentally-safe

 

vehicle. A hybrid car has two engines--a gasoline and electric engine.

 

Excellent Range

 

Hybrid cars are becoming more and more diverse. Those who are considering purchasing a hybrid

 

car now have many options to choose from. Toyota, Honda, and Ford, among others, currently

 

produce hybrid cars. Sales in the United States of hybrid cars made by Toyota and Honda have

 

been certainly on the up over the past few years. The most recent Statistics suggest that

 

nearly 8,000 hybrid cars were sold in 2004. This was almost 0.53% of the total U.S. car sales

 

in 2004.

 

Significant Sales Increases predicted

 

It is also predicted that sales of hybrid cars will reach 535,000 in 2011, which would be over

 

half of all U.S. auto sales. All major auto manufacturers like General Motors, Ford, Honda,

 

Toyota and others, will be producing and releasing more hybrid cars and trucks and in coming

 

years, the production of hybrid cars and trucks could match or exceed the production of

 

traditional trucks and cars.

 

Why are hybrid cars becoming popular?

 

It's not just because of the rising gas prices, but also because of environmental issues and a

 

need to reduce significantly Co2 emissions that hybrids are better for the environment. Hybrid

 

cars use less gasoline and emit fewer pollutants in the air than traditional cars resulting in

 

substantially less pollution in the air.

 

Don't be scared off – think long-term

 

Many potential hybrid buyers are scared off because of the higher hybrid price. . When you

 

consider the fact that purchasing a hybrid will mean less money spent on gas and less

 

pollution, the hybrid is well-worth the extra money initially spent. Also, most, if not all,

 

hybrids in the U.S. qualify for a tax break that can shave thousands off the price of the

 

hybrid.

 

An Example

 

Are you still not sure that hybrid car is right for you? Let's look at an example. A Honda

 

Civic gas-based car costs $15,000 in the U.S. The Honda Civic hybrid car costs $19,000. That is

 

a $4,000 price difference.

 

The Honda Civic gas-based car gets 36 mpg in the city. A Honda Civic hybrid car gets 48 mpg in

 

the city. If the price of gas is roughly the same as it is now($2.20 a gallon), and the car

 

racks up 15,000 miles a year, it will cost $4,900 less dollars for the Civic hybrid car than

 

the Civic gas-based car. Essentially, you get back your money after a year, and every following

 

year, you save more money. After factoring in the tax break, you're saving even more money. All

 

of this makes the hybrid car very appealing.