Hybrid cars seem to be the green car of the 21st century. They are reliable, relatively affordable, and use far less gas than most other cars on the road. You see them everywhere; in supermarket parking lots, at the mall, etc. The number of people who own them seems to be growing considerably as well. Chances you know someone who owns a hybrid or have considered purchasing one yourself. So, just how reliable are these step-up cars that are leading us towards full electric vehicles of the future? Why do people enjoy them so much... or not so much? Armed with a desire to find out what it's like to own a hybrid, I sent out a list of questions to friends and family members who do; questions including: how much you spend on gas a year, why do you like your hybrid car, and how many miles per gallon do you get on average. Before addressing their answers, I think it is important to define what a hybrid car is and how it works.
Hybridcars.com is a great site for anyone who wants to find out more about the hybrid car. It includes the uber popular Toyota Prius along with many others from Honda to Ford and Chevy. There are also links for information on electric cars, plug-in hybrids, and diesel cars. If you have questions, you will likely find an answer in the FAQ section. I would highly recommend this site as a jumping off point for anyone who is considering getting a hybrid car.
According to hybridcars.com, hybrid cars work by:
Relying solely on a gasoline internal combustion engine, [and use] both a gas engine and electric motors. The energy used by the electric motors is stored in rechargeable batteries.The ability to partially use electricity as a fuel means that you burn less gasoline. The computer system on a hybrid makes the decisions about which energy source to use at different times, based on maximizing efficiency while providing the same level of safety and comfort as conventional cars.
With this information in mind, I feel it will be easier to understand how owners of hybrid cars feel about their vehicles.
According to everyone questioned in my study, a typical new hybrid car costs between $20,000 and $30,000. While it may seem a little pricey, everyone queried felt that this was a reasonable price to pay, as most full gasoline or diesel cars are going for about the same price. This price does not include how much they spend on gas. Miriam Rosenblum of Denver, CO says her 2002 Toyota Prius costs her $80 a month in gas, which comes to roughly $1000 a year. Her cousin (who has the same name) in Boston, MA, who owns two hybrid Prius, a 2004 and a 2008, said, "Our 2004 Prius is driven about 425 miles each week. The tank is filled about once a week for about $26. Our 2008 Prius is driven about 50 miles a week. [The] tank is filled very infrequently."
Jonathon Rosenblum of Seattle, WA owns a Suburban Outback and a 2005 Prius, and he spends $150 a month on gas. The Prius is responsible for about half of that cost, but only because he drives it more often than the Outback.
So, it is obvious that the hybrid saves people a lot of money on gas, given that it uses both gas and electricity. But what about gas mileage? I asked my friends and family what their gas mileage was like both on and off the highway and how this compared to their previous car. Jonathon Rosenblum said, "Until last year, we averaged 51 miles on a tank in the summer, [and] about 46-47 in the winter. Now we average about 49 on a tank in the summer, and about 46-47 in the winter. Nowadays we get in the low 40 driving around town, low 50s on the highway. Our last car was a Ford Focus, which got about 30 mpg." Myron and Rachel Rosenblum of Lexington, MA said their 2005 Toyota Prius averages about 48 mpg in the summer and 43 mpg in the winter, which they claimed was far better than their Plymouth Van. In Denver, CO, Miriam Rosenblum says her mileage varies from 40-50 mpg, depending on the time of year.
I found it interesting that everyone said their mileage goes down in the colder months of the year. Miriam Rosenblum says that one of the reasons for this is that the battery takes longer to charge in the winter, thus mileage goes down. Hybridcars.com has this to say: Hybrid cars are designed to operate in the same range of conditions and temperatures as conventional vehicles. For example, Honda's specs indicate that its Integrated Motor Assist system will operate as low as 22 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. We have seen reports of a Prius in Barrow, Alaska suffering from a frozen and damaged battery pack--at 56 below zero. Master hybrid technician Craig Van Batenburg reports that nickel metal hydride batteries can take heat up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. He said, "It just doesn't get that hot. The air cooling works fine." Gas mileage during cold weather is diminished for all vehicles, hybrid or not.
So, what about getting the car repaired? How much does it cost, and is difficult to find a place to repair it? Most people take it to the dealership to get the car repaired as there seems to be a lack of places where people know how to work on hybrid cars at this time. Miriam Rosenblum's cousin said, "We are concerned that the mechanics be familiar with Prius technology, so we always take the two cars to a large Toyota dealer who handles a lot of Prius cars in their service center". Hybridcars.com suggests that you take your car to a dealership: Considering that Toyota offers a 100,000 mile warranty on emission components and battery pack, and that Honda offers an 80,000 mile warranty on the same--on top of the traditional 3-year/36,000 mile warranty on the conventional systems. Dealer service centers do usually charge a little more, but classes are popping up all over the country to teach independent car mechanics about hybrids. After all, there are more than one million of these cars on the road, and mechanics have to meet this demand. This timing works out well for new hybrid buyers. By the time your warranty is finished, there will be many more qualified hybrid mechanics available to you.
As with all cars, there are things people like and dislike about hybrids. Miriam Rosenblum said she likes her hybrid because she "[doesn't] have to spend as much on gas, it pollutes the atmosphere much less than a regular car, [and] it's fun to drive". Everyone queried agreed, some of them going further to say they like the design and features. In addition to the hybrid motor systems in these cars, most also benefit from enhanced aerodynamic body design and low resistance tires. Since 1997 when Toyota first began selling the Prius in Japan these details have been scrutinized and what's available today is hyper efficient. Jonathon Rosenblum likes that his hybrid is comfortable, efficient, not fancy, and does what just what he wants it to do. However, like all cars, there are problems. Miriam Rosenblum said that that her warning light came on and it took a very long time to figure out what was causing it. Her cousin said: Our 2004 Prius recently had to have both of its headlights replaced. It cost $375 per headlight plus the installation / labor costs to replace due to the complicated systems that govern the headlight system. We find this to be ridiculous that Toyota designed such an expensive head light system for the car. Also, in very heavy rains we have had electrical failures. With the 2004 Prius, the dashboard warning lights all came on during a torrential rainstorm even though all the systems were still functioning. When the car dried out they turned off. With the 2008 Prius the data screen went blank during a rainstorm.
Despite these problems, everyone would recommend the hybrid car to their family and friends. In fact, the reason so many people in my family own hybrids is because they recommended it to each other. Miriam Rosenblum said, "3 of our family members bought Prius on our recommendation....because it is a good car".
"I would not hesitate to recommend the present car to people interested in buying a well designed comfortable and efficient mode of travel", said Myron and Rachel Rosenblum.
In many regions of the United States and the world hybrid cars are becoming a very common choice. With fluctuating gas prices and a desire to ditch our reliance on foreign oil many consumers see the economic and patriotic benefits of going green. Hybrid cars aren't perfect but they've been on the roads now for over a decade and they have certainly proven themselves.
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