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Posts Tagged ‘fuel efficiency’

What are hybrid cars, and what makes the purchase of one desirable in the effort to conserve energy?

A hybrid vehicle is defined as any vehicle that uses two or more separate types of energy to propel the vehicle. The basic operating truth of a hybrid vehicle is that the gasoline engine receives assistance from another source for extra power, which allows the engine to run with less gasoline.

Today almost every major car maker is producing its own version of the hybrid. Hybrids and SUVs are offered at most dealerships. There are government-offered tax incentives and dealership rebates to make the purchase of a hybrid car or SUV more appealing to those who are undecided as to the type of vehicle they may purchase.

The purchase price of a hybrid or SUV can vary greatly, depending upon the maker and the degree of luxury. Many hybrid car owners agree that the money they save in fuel more than makes up for the minimal added cost of purchasing a hybrid. Reports show that the fuel efficiency of the hybrid car is around twice that of a comparable conventional automobile.

There are several variations of the hybrid operating system.In the conventional hybrid car and SUV, gasoline is converted to energy by the engine and the motor, and then stored in the batteries, to be used during the operation of the vehicle. Plug-ins use large battery packs, which are recharged by connecting to household electricity. Plug-in cars are different from conventional hybrids in that they may be driven distances up to 40 miles, without using gasoline. In short, Plug-in hybrid cars have the same benefits of conventional hybrids, but have the longer driving range of conventional non-hybrid vehicles.

The simplest hybrid is the Start Stop type. These vehicles have engine controls, which shut off the engine when the car slows down or stops. When the driver accelerates, the batteries power the starter motor, which quickly switches on the engine. This is the lowest cost hybrid alternative.

All across the country, car and truck dealers are feeling the new reality as their beautiful, fully-loaded sport utility vehicles collect dust in their lots. The old proverb of, “can’t even give them away,” seems especially fitting, as Americans are now neglecting the low mileage SUV’s, and turning to the hybrids and higher fuel efficiency models instead. Car dealers have been stung by the SUV/RV inventory glut, so they don’t want any more vehicles that they can’t sell. So when people come in with these SUV’s to try and trade them in, they are getting low ball offers. This in-turn hurts sales for the new fuel efficient vehicles because many of these trade-ins would be buyers, but they can’t even afford to make the purchase without a decent trade-in value. Manufacturers have stepped up to the plate to try and increase sales of these hybrid cars with rebates and special offers, but not every model or every deal qualifies. So if there’s no help at the local car dealer, what’s an SUV/RV owner supposed to do when they want to get rid of their vehicle? Many have turned to their local newspaper’s classified ads for relief. But, a quick scan of just about any newspaper’s classifieds quickly illustrates the abundance of SUV’s and RV’s currently on the market. The result of this, of course will further drive down the price. At this point, even low miles and excellent condition on a car seem to have little to do with what you can get out of an SUV. eBay and other online buy-sell forums offer a new type of classified ad. Many of these are interactive and follow an auction bidding process. At the same time there is no guarantee that your vehicle will sell either. But at least there is an alternative worth exploring. Like all dark clouds, the days of “can’t give them away,” for SUV’s and RV’s will eventually pass and America will return to it’s can’t get enough of the bigger, bolder, go-anywhere, do everything vehicle.