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Hybrid
Vehicles
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Hybrid vehicles are taking
the auto world by storm. Ever since Toyota and Honda introduced
their hybrid vehicles into the marketplace, the demand
has exceeded the supply.
Most of those who have
been attracted to the new lines of hybrid vehicles do
so out of regard for the environment followed by a desire
to lessen this country's dependence upon foreign oil and
save a few bucks on high gasoline prices.
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Hybrid
Vehicles - Not Just Hybrid Cars
Hybrid cars may have been the first on the market, but the
market has expanded to include other hybrid vehicles as well.
Hybrid SUVs, trucks, minivans, buses and motorcycles are all
either in development or on the market as we speak.
Pictured
is the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV. |
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Hybrid
Vehicles See Green
Hybrid vehicle manufacturers have been seeing green because
of the popularity and demand for such vehicles. But, this
demand is mostly because consumers are seeing a different
green in that they hope for a greener environment. Hybrid
vehicles form a class of 'green vehicles' that offer very
low to zero emissions and take a step towards making this
dream come true.
In fact, the American Automobile Association (AAA) in its
Westways magazine and ACEEE's Green Book both outline five
different levels of low emission vehicles. Zero-emission,
partial zero-emission, super-ultra-low-emission, ultra-low-emission
and low-emission vehicles all help the environment by putting
less pollutants into the air than traditional vehicles.
Not all of the greenest vehicles are automobiles, either.
ACEEE's 'Greenest Vehicles of 2005' puts the Ford Escape
Hybrid on the top 12 list as a 36 mpg/city, 31 mpg/hwy,
partial zero emission vehicle.
Hybrid
Vehicles Use Less Foreign Oil
Gasoline prices have skyrocketed over 40-percent from last
year and there is no end in sight to the upward trend. By
consuming less gasoline as the hybrid vehicles do, we lessen
our demand for foreign petroleum products. Less demand means
less dependence.
Hybrid vehicles can also be seen as a logical interim step
into the forthcoming hydrogen economy. Hydrogen vehicles are
now being developed where the only emission is water and will
be expected to hit the showrooms within the next 10 years. Consumers
want a cleaner environment and less foreign oil dependence now,
though, so hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles or other alternative
fuel vehicles make sense until this time. Even after this time,
most vehicles will remain hybrids since this will mean fuel
savings no matter which fuel is being used.
In addition, another interim step may just be the gasoline-hydrogen
hybrid vehicle, which can be seen as a transitory step into
the all hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. No matter what though,
the current price for a hydrogen car is a cool $1 million
with few fueling options outside of California.
For now, those who want to clean up greenhouse gases and
thumb their noses at Middle East oil can purchase the hybrid
alternative fuel vehicles currently on the market from the
major automotive manufacturers. Go green now and we'll all
have blue skies later.
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