12 Common Hybrid Car Myths

Hybrid Car Myth #1:
  
"You don't want a hybrid 'cause every couple days you've gotta plug them in somewhere to recharge the batteries."

Funny how you hear otherwise normally intelligent people make this ignorant statement. Probably because just the word "electricity" conjures up images of cords and sockets and circuit breakers and blown fuses. 

But, interestingly enough, many hybrid car owners actually would like the ability to plug in their vehicles at night.  This way, they can use that much less gasoline; the gas engine part of the hybrid would now need to run that much less when they made their morning commutes.  Now, nothing's free--especially energy,  however, the idea here is that the additional charges on their monthly electric bill would still be far less than the added $3.00+ per each additional gallon of fuel.

(The 2007 and beyond hybrid electric vehicles are supposedly going to have the capability to plug them in.)

Hybrid Car Myth #2:
 
"Hybrids?  No, I'd never get one because you've gotta recharge them at 'special' service stations that are uniquely equipped to recharge the hybrid's batteries."

To expand on #1 above:  The main reason that hybrid-electric cars are able to get going in the morning without overnight recharging is the gasoline motor.  Secondary to this is a great invention called "regenerative braking."  Regenerative braking simply takes most of the energy needed to stop the car and uses it to recharge the batteries.  Simple but ingenius. A side benefit of this is that the brake pads last longer.

Hybrid Car Myth #3: 

"The batteries only last a couple years at the most.  Then you've gotta buy thousands of dollars worth of new batteries." 

The standard warranty on hybrid batteries usually runs between 80,000 and 100,000 miles.  Great advances in battery technology since 2000 have raised the life expectancy to a respectable level in 2007.  Taxi services using hybrid-only cars are springing up everywhere....now that should raise the eyebrows of hybrid naysayers.  The warranty for battery life may be at 100,000 miles, however, taxi services are seeing 200,000 to 300,000 miles with absolutely no degradation in battery performance. 

The key to this long battery life lies in "smart charging" where the electronic charging computer will not let the battery get charged above around 60% of capacity, nor let it drop below 40% of its capacity.  This allows the new NIMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries to run practically forever. 

That being said, battery technology remains the main area for the greatest advances in hybrid car technology yet to come.  Lighter batteries that hold longer charges and put out higher power is the dream of every hybrid engineering company.  Battery technology is where hybrids stand to gain the most benefit.

If the batteries do need replacing, they will cost between $1700 - $3000, not $10,000+ like many folks say.

Hybrid Car Myth #4:
 
"Hybrids are only a fad."

I think the taxi cab testimonial from above answers this one. 

As a matter of fact, according to E. Friedman-- fleet manager for 3 large taxi companies in New York City--100% of New York City taxi cabs will be hybrid vehicles by 2010 to 2015. He said, "You have to understand the hit that cabbies are taking.  A single shift can cost them $100 in gas.  The ones that drive hybrids are saving $25 per shift."  

So, figuring a 5-day workweek (most cabbies work longer, though) the savings add up to $625 per month.  This goes straight into their pockets.  25% fuel savings does add up quickly!

Hybrid Car Myth #5: 

"Hybrids won't last as long as other cars." 

In fact, hybrids are outlasting conventional motor vehicles.  Some of them by a long shot.
The track record of the new hybrids are proving that myth false.  Battery life is practically a non-issue, and regenerative braking makes the brakes last longer. (Apparently, the high-tech regenerative braking hardware itself is robust and reliable--otherwise, if just the cheap brake pads lasted but the regenerative brake hardware didn't--then brake maintenance would indeed be expensive.) 

Add to this the fact that the gasoline engines of hybrids are showing much less wear and tear on them after mileage that would send a gasoline engine-only car into its death throes.  This is because the engines are helped out all day by the electric power system--which will last practically forever on its own.

Hybrid Car Myth #6:   

"Hybrid-electric cars are dangerous from an electrocution standpoint."

This myth gained momentum when the question of "first responder" came up:  What would happen if some rescue crew had to use the "jaws of life" to cut out an occupant of a mangled hybrid?  Answer:  Nothing.  This fear is right up there with the danger of your computer monitor or your computer itself blowing up.  But, alas, the media will always have its day.

Hybrid Car Myth #7:    

"Hybrids are expensive."

While this may have been true just a few short years ago, it's no longer the case.  Except for upscale models as expected.

In early '06 the approximately ten models ranged from $18K to $55K.  The most popular models--the Civic, Insight, and Prius--ran well under $30K.  Nevertheless, the "hybrid premium"--a figure that represents the additional costs of buying a hybrid--stands around $3000 today.  That's because as it stands now, it is indeed more expensive to produce hybrids as compared to regular vehicles. 

But this $3000 is turning out to be more than offset by state and federal tax breaks, combined with much cheaper operation and maintenance costs.  The gasoline engines are showing much less wear and tear as we covered above and also the resale values are much higher for hybrids than gasoline-only cars.

As a matter of fact, the popular Toyota Prius is reselling at close to its original price---something unheard of for most cars. 

But the high-end hybrid car manufacturers like Lexus still serve us normal mortals: They're breaking new ground in technology that will make its way to the cars that I can afford.  

This is akin to the 'trickle-down' effect of the expensive technology that goes into NASA's space program.   

Anyway, times are a-changin'.  By the end of the decade, a projected 50 or so models will be out, bringing down this "hybrid premium" because of 'economies of scale.'

Hybrid Car Myth #8: 

                   

"Hybrids are short on power."

Not so anymore.  Once again, technology comes to the rescue.   The fastest car in Honda's family sedan lineup turns out to be their hybrid Accord.  As a matter of fact, the hybrid Accord is the fastest family sedan on the market. 

Lexus came out with their GS Hybrid 2007.  It beats their V-8 gasoline-only version by over a second in the zero to sixty run and makes 100mph in no time flat...it's breakthrough technology continuously-variable transmission is part of it's claim to fame.  But, nevertheless, it's only for folks with bucks to spare--like around $60,000 of them once you figure in a couple extras.

Hybrid Car Myth #9:

"Hybrids are small and cramped."

Aside from the Lexus GS Hybrid 2007 and other sedans like the Honda Accord hybrid, there are also lots of SUV hybrids coming out.  You've probably seen a few here and there already.  Anyway, Consumer Reports rated two hybrids as best mid-size SUVs in the industry in October '05--the Toyoto Highlander and the Lexus RX400h.

Hybrid Car Myth #10:  

"Hybrids are brand-new technology."

According to an article in Business Week, I was surprised to learn that an American engineer name H. Piper filed a patent for the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle in 1905!  Evidently, in 1900, equal numbers of electric, steam, and gasoline powered vehicles were produced.  It wasn't until the invention of the electric starter, combined with the production of cheap gasoline did the steam and electric vehicles disappear.

Hybrid Car Myth #11: 

"People buy hybrids just to save money on gas."

Enter the "X Factor"....read on...

Check out these interesting statistics from ConsumerReports.org on car owner satisfaction. (Well, not these first statistics, but you need to read them to prepare you for the 'surprise' statistics :)

Consumer Reports had polled owners of new vehicles (year 2006) for their ratings on different aspects of their  cars.  The "overall" satisfaction rates ranged from a low of 40% who said they'd purchase another vehicle of the same make and model to an average high of around 70% who said they'd purchase their cars again in the future.

O.K. this is where it gets interesting:  Breaking the 'norm' for domestic car owner satisfaction was the Chevrolet Corvette with a whopping 88% who said they'd buy another Corvette... 

But wait--96% of hybrid car owners--up 1% from 95% in 2005--said they'd purchase another hybrid!

To me, these lopsided statistics don't make sense from a "normal person" point of view; that is, there's something else going on here inside the heads of hybrid owners.   I mean, c'mon, a hybrid vehicle may be good, but it's still just a damn automobile, a way to get from point A to point B. 

Well, the difference is what I'll call the "X Factor", which represents the unique attitude that most hybrid car owners have about their cars.  You see, it's not the hybrid cars themselves that hybrid owners are thinking about so much as that they are defiantely proud and defensive of their decisions to go with a hybrid.  This "X factor" warps the statistics here.

Alright, I've rambled on enough on this subject. Onward...

Hybrid Car Myth #12: 

"Hybrids are our answer to our dependence on the  Middle East for oil...thank heavens!"

I wish this were true but sadly, it isn't.  Not by a long shot.  Although the numbers of hybrid cars on the road is increasing fast, it will barely make a dent in our dependence on foreign oil.  Here's why:   200,000 hybrids were sold in 2005 with 2006 looking to finish up doubling that. (J.D. Power pegs hybrid sales at 400,000 in the U.S. by the end of 2007.)  ExxonMobile forecasts 30% of the total vehicle sales will be hybrids by 2030. 

Let's say the milestone of 1 million hybrids on the road is reached between 2007 and 2008.  This seems encouraging until you realize that there's around 200 million vehicles on the road today and over 700 million worldwide! And the numbers of all types of vehicles--hybrid or not--continue to increase exponentially.  China alone has jumped in with an exploding car market. 

So, as far as independence from foreign oil is concerned, we have to look at hybrids as being only a partial solution.  We need new technology, like hydrogen fuel---which is made from water!  With the only by-product/exhaust being water and carbon dioxide. (Not carbon monoxide like with fossil fuels.) 

However, mass-produced hydrogen fuel is forecast not to be a reality until 2050!  Not fast enough!  It's not fast enough because the absolute limits of fossil fuel availability is forecast to be around 2035, given the present growth of the world's swelling fuel demands.

The next page find out how Japan Succeeds with the Toyota Prius...

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But, I have no doubt that we'll figure something out once the oil wells start to dry up.  -ed.