It’s common knowledge that hybrid vehicles are “green” technology, meaning they’re examples of technology that’s good for the environment. But how exactly do hybrids benefit the environment compared to traditional gas-only cars? Less gas consumption is a big part of it, but there are many other ecological pluses of hybrids a lot of people don’t think about. By learning about how many hybrid vehicles work and are built, we can clearly see how they’re powerful, impressive advances in the field of green tech.
Lower Consumption, Lower Demand
A single hybrid vehicle consumes a small fraction of the gasoline a gas-only version of the same car would. This is because hybrid cars rely on a motor powered by electricity, so they only need gasoline to power the engine. By allowing the main source of motion to get its energy from the car’s electrical system, a lot of hybrids can drive at average city speeds without using any gas.
This means that every individual who invests in a hybrid is consuming less fossil fuel. When enough people choose hybrids over gas-only cars, they serve as a real force for change in the fossil fuel market. Plainly, the less gasoline people need, the lower demand for gas a product becomes. This has the power to reduce fossil fuel production and consumption overall, discouraging the environmentally unfriendly practices of drilling, refining, and burning fossil fuels.
Fuel Efficiency
Another element of hybrid gas consumption, especially in this era of unprecedentedly high gas prices, is the increasingly prevalent conversation about fuel efficiency in the vehicle market overall. Aside from “classic” hybrid designs that tend to be compact cars, drivers of larger, more fuel-hungry vehicles are starting to demand increased fuel efficiency, if for no other reason than to save money.
This has resulted in car manufacturers looking to hybrid technology to help everything from sports cars to pickup trucks in achieving new levels of fuel efficiency. In short, the chief financial incentive to buy a hybrid has encouraged auto manufacturers to embrace green tech for the sake of market demand rather than environmental ideology.
Lower Emissions
Naturally, if a car needs less gas to move, it’s going to burn less gas over time and emit less of the air-polluting byproducts of the classic internal combustion engine. Even the least efficient hybrid vehicles produce dramatically less ground-level pollution than the most efficient gas-only vehicles of the same class, from fuel-sipping compacts to traditionally thirsty luxury SUV designs(http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/
Lighter Materials
Hybrids don’t just exist to be examples of practical green tech. They’re as subject to market pressures as any major consumer product. Since the main selling point of hybrid vehicles is their fuel efficiency, they need to be able to deliver on better miles per gallon ratings every year. This means that hybrid electrical systems, from motor efficiency to recharge rates, are getting better, but it also means that the cars are using less material overall.
A lighter car needs less energy to move its mass, so hybrid manufacturers continue to modify their designs to use less of everything, from metal and plastic in the frame to rubber in the wheels and fabric in the interior. It’s a challenge to conserve so much, but manufacturers see greater fuel efficiency and lower production costs in the results.
Tax Incentives
Prospective hybrid drivers often learn about federal, state and local tax incentives for driving low-emissions vehicles when they’re doing their research ahead of a purchase. It’s true that simply purchasing or driving a hybrid offers tax credits and other incentives for the individual. In fact, there are many government incentives for green and healthy behavior. Hybrid credits are often springboards for research into other green credits.
There are many good reasons to look into switching to a hybrid. They’re financially and environmentally smart investments for drivers who are conscious of fuel consumption and the real impact cars have on the quality of live on this planet.
