Hybrids Are All The (en)Rage
What’s with all the Hybrid Hype anyway? In today’s climate, it’s almost uncool to not supply your customers, whether they be car buyers, home appliance shoppers or Whole Foods regulars, with non “green” materials. Pretty much every major auto maker either has a hybrid car already on the market, or will have one within the next year (for the 2011 – 2012 model years).
But with every Joe-blow engineer rushing out their idea for a hybrid drive train, or the smart auto makers buying the technology from someone smarter, there will be no shortage of hybrid car variants soon. Are we really getting a quality vehicle, and most importantly are we getting savings at the pump?
Don’t get us wrong, Automopedia loves fuel efficient, technologically advanced rides. And now that the tech is out there, auto makers can take advantage of it at a good rate, for both their wallets and yours. It’s not just a flash in the pan marketing scheme, hybrid sales are going up. There is a question of affordability, up front. Back in 2005, a CNN Money article exposed the larger price tags of hybrid variants by Japanese auto makers compared to their gas-online siblings. In today’s hybrid world, companies like Ford/Lincoln and Honda are selling hybrids at around the same price as the non-hybrid versions. That 2005 article was also published for the Government decided to give larger cash incentives to those purchasing green vehicles.
Are hybrid cars perfect? Not at all. But no vehicle is, not even KITT from Knight Rider or the General Lee. A hybrid vehicle requires different, sometimes more expensive maintenance than an regular internal combustion engine. With more hybrids coming out, auto makers will be looking for less-expensive alternatives to materials (cheaper parts, that is). John Viera, Ford’s director of sustainability and environmental policy, said to HybridCars.com: “We feel that outside the communication and the hype, there is no silver bullet. There’s no fuel type or technology, including electric, that is the perfect solution.”
And in the end, no matter what the dealer claims (40, 100, 230 miles on a single charge) only real world tests during your daily commute will prove what a Mazda, Toyota, Chevy or Audi hybrid is really made of.
Are you saving the earth? No. Are you helping? Probably. Are you saving at the gas pump? Indeed – though maybe only to put back into the higher cost of maintenance/insurance. One fact seems certain, hybrids are here to stay. With every major car company investing millions upon millions in this technology, someone’s going to want a payoff at the end of the quarter. The question remains, can you afford it after the hype is gone?
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