Hybrid Cars Pros & Cons

Electric cars have not gained popularity even though they existed before gasoline powered cars. It was not until the seventies when oil prices were high that electric cars even became considered as an alternative. The main reasons the public perceives electric cars to be impractical are because of their high cost and limited versatility. It was true in the early developmental stages of electric cars that they were extremely costly, impractical, and so crude that an image of a golf-cart like vehicle comes to mind what one mentions electric cars. Unfortunately, this bad publicity makes people tend to prejudge electric cars without realizing how much they have improved over the years. They have improved so much that I think they can serve as the ideal city commuter cars of the future. Electric cars do have some drawbacks but improvements are making electric cars easier to live with. (Bernarde, 23-24)


The primary drawback is the high cost of production passed on to the consumer. Electric cars cost between five and ten-thousand dollars more than gasoline powered cars because it takes many years to develop it and the expensive materials that it takes to build the cars. For example, the research takes at least four years to turn out a working prototype, and then it could take years more to fix the problems and perfect it. Also, in order to make the cars as light as possible, expensive composite plastics materials are used. However as research continues the cost will go down because everyone can find out what will work based on other companies' experiments so they would not have to waste time and money repeating an experiment that does not work. For example, the big three auto makers, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors plan to work together and share technology to build electric vehicles. The prices for the materials will also go down if there is enough of a demand so that the materials can be made in a factory instead of being specially made. For example, batteries which cost two thousand dollars now will become less expensive once researchers have found the right one because they can be mass produced. (Bernarde, 1992:67)


Hybrid Cars vs. Gasoline Cars: Environmental Issue
Since the invention of the car, people have had to go through the ordeal because we have no choice. It has been over eighty years, and we are still using gasoline as the primary source of power for our vehicles. With all of the new technology created over these years, shouldn't we have thought of something better by now? The truth is that we have. Electricity is a much cleaner, more efficient form of power that could be put to use, but it hasn't. Is there any particular reason? Of course! Somebody will lose money. The idea of an electric car has been embedded in the mind of people for countless years. Whether it is by a writer, an inventor, or a scientist, it has been thought about for some time. Not only would this idea be safer for the environment, it would save billions of people money.(Thompson,2001:3


Although nothing can compare to sitting behind the wheel, each Snapshot gives you a feel for the featured vehicle by highlighting performance, vehicle features, and the benefits the new technology delivers to you and your community. (Hunt, 2002)