The Hybrid Car and the Environment
A growing number of men and women are becoming more conscious of the impact their automobiles have on the environment. As a result, each year, a growing number of people are considering the hybrid car when it comes to their personal transportation options.
Indeed, taking to the road in a hybrid car has some notable and important benefits to the environment over driving the traditional or conventional motor vehicle with a standard internal combustion engine.
Several years ago, the hybrid car started gaining attention when a number of celebrities bought their own hybrid car. It became well publicized that stars like Cameron Diaz, Donny Osmond and Leonardo DiCaprio each drove a hybrid car. Indeed, Leonardo DiCaprio forwent a limousine when he was driven to the 2005 Academy Award ceremonies in Hollywood. DiCaprio went to the Oscars in his hybrid car.
A number of the different hybrid car models on the road today can reduce pollution emissions by upwards to 90% compared to the cleanest running conventional vehicles on the road today. Because the hybrid car burns far less gasoline than a conventional motor car, it emits significantly less pollution into the air.
A typical hybrid car can travel between 50 to 60 miles for every gallon of gas in the city. (When compared to an SUV that averages 15 to 20 miles per gallon in the city, the difference between the two types of vehicles patently is obvious.)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a Pollution Score, with 1 being low (very poor) and 10 being a high (outstanding) score. Many conventional vehicles stew in the lower ranges at 3 or 4 -- some SUVs even clock in at a 1. On the other hand, most hybrid car models are rated in the 6 to 8 range, some hybrid car models even reaching a “perfect” EPA score of 10.
The sticker price on most hybrid car models is considered reasonable. At the present time, for the most recent model year, the average sticker price on hybrid car models is about $20,000 -- making the hybrid car environmentally friendly and consumer friendly in the same instance.
Get the facts before you invest in a hybrid vehicle!