Understanding Hybrid Cars And Its Benefits

Since Hybrid vehicles were introduced into the international market in 1997, only a small number of these vehicles are actually used in Nigeria in contrast to it’s full mechanically driven counterparts. Before proceeding, we need to understand what a Hybrid vehicle is.

A Hybrid vehicle is a type of vehicle that utilizes more than one form of onboard energy to achieve propulsion. In practice, that means a hybrid will have a traditional internal-combustion engine (which could be petrol or diesel) and a fuel tank, as well as one or more electric motors and a battery pack. The chief advantages of a hybrid are that it uses less fuel and emits less CO2 than most conventional non-hybrid vehicles.

2011-toyota-prius

Characteristics Of A Hybrid Vehicle

  1. Hybrids work best in the city and many on the highway too. With an electric motor to deal with low-speed driving, some hybrids can spend large amounts of time using no fuel at all, in the city. This means that you’ll use far less fuel getting about than in an equivalent non-hybrid.
  2. You won’t have to keep replacing the batteries. Unfortunately so–many people think that buying a hybrid new, let alone second or third-hand, means you’ll soon be paying half the value of the car to replace the batteries but this is not true. Not only do hybrid batteries last an inordinately long time in most cases–even under duress, but they no longer cost a fortune to replace if the car is in your tenure by the time its battery needs replacing, in many cases, the car itself might be past its use-by date before the battery expires.
  3. One of the things many people enjoy about hybrids is how easy they are to drive. The vast majority use automatic transmissions for a start, and some–like those from Toyota or Lexus–don’t even trouble you with gears, instead using seamless continuously-variable transmissions (CVT). Most provide you with displays showing just how much power you’re using.
  4. There’s more to hybrids than the Prius. Think hybrid, think Prius? That’s understandable, as Toyota has sold millions of its most famous hybrid. And between Toyota and Lexus, over five million hybrid vehicles have been sold–the majority of hybrid vehicles on the roads. There are other forms of hybrid vehicles from sporty, manual transmission hybrid coupes like the Honda CR-Z, through luxury SUVs like the Lexus RX 450h, to hybrid-assisted trucks like the Chevy Silverado Hybrid. There really is a hybrid out there for just about everyone.

Since the world is going green, you will see more modified versions of Hybrids on the road before 2019. WATCH OUT!

About Nonso Okafor

I've worked as a technical support representative in major auto centers in Nigeria for more than twenty years. I have dealt with a variety of problems in my capacity as a customer service representative and auto diagnostics expert. I'm committed to assisting people in properly maintaining their automobiles and in appreciating this magnificent innovation known as an automobile.

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