Contents
What Is a Hybrid Car?
How Hybrid Cars Work
Types of Hybrid Cars
How to Understand Automakers’ Gas Mileage Claims
Will a Hybrid Car Save You Money?
Environmental Benefits of Hybrids
How to Buy a Hybrid Car
The Hybrid Driving Experience
Hybrid Car Gasoline-Saving Tips
Hybrid Car Maintenance
The Future of Hybrid Cars
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Environmental Benefits of Hybrids
Though the financial benefits of a hybrid may take a few years to kick in, the environmental benefits of a hybrid begin immediately.
Reduced Pollutants and Greenhouse Gases
As public awareness of global warming has increased, people have begun to seek out ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as those produced by burning gasoline. Environmentally aware consumers have embraced hybrids because they burn less gasoline and thus emit less greenhouse gas.
- Some hybrids release up to 97% fewer pollutants than U.S. government minimum emissions standards.
- All hybrids emit fewer pollutants than their gasoline-only counterparts.
In particular, hybrids emit less of the following pollutants than conventional gasoline-powered cars do:
- Carbon dioxide: The major greenhouse gas implicated in global warming
- Carbon monoxide: A gas, toxic in high concentrations, that affects the central nervous system and impairs the flow of oxygen to the brain
- Hydrocarbons: Volatile organic compounds that cause smog, cancer, lung disease, and birth defects
- Nitrogen oxide: A gas that contributes to ground-level ozone (the major factor in the formation of smog) and is also the main cause of acid rain, which can damage aquatic environments and plant life
- Particulate matter: Small airborne particles that get into the lungs when inhaled and can cause respiratory problems, lung damage, and cancer, as well as aggravate existing lung and heart conditions
Driving a hybrid is one of the best ways consumers can have a positive impact on air quality and the environment. Many hybrids qualify for California’s Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) qualification, meaning that they burn at least 90% cleaner than the average vehicle of that model year and have zero evaporative emissions (emissions that escape from the fuel delivery system).
Reduced Use of Nonrenewable Resources
Gasoline comes from refined petroleum, commonly called oil. Since hybrids burn less gasoline, they use less oil. Benefits of using less oil include:
- Conserving nonrenewable resources: Oil cannot be manufactured or recycled. By using less oil, hybrid owners help conserve a crucial natural resource.
- Reducing dependency on foreign oil: By the year 2025, up to 70% of the oil used by the U.S. is expected come from abroad. Hybrid cars help U.S. drivers depend less on foreign oil supplies, including those from suppliers linked to terrorists.
| Acknowledgments & Disclaimer |
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