As hybrid vehicles collect global popularity, they still find themselves plagued with myths and off-putting stories. It is important you can separate myth and fact in any category, but when purchasing an automobile it is also very important. Whether you’re haunted by stories of necessary wall sockets, inconvenient fuel cells, or any other negative press tales—understand there’s a motive behind these accounts. It is understandable that people may have a hard time accepting such a drastic change to something as concrete and time proved as the automobile. America itself has essentially grown up and evolved around the automobile for its entire second century of existence, and so misconceptions about the hybrid are inevitable. But don’t worry; we’re going to set the record straight. Below we have listed what we perceive to be the Top 5 Hybrid Myths, and we’re pretty sure you’ve heard them before. But we will further elaborate how true each one is, and give you the real scoop on hybrid automobiles.
The Top Five Myths (And the real story behind them)
1: Hybrid Cars Require Plugs and Sockets to Recharge-
This is a big one, I’m sure you’ve heard it a time or two when discussion moves on to hybrid automobiles. They say in order to utilize a hybrid car, you’ll have to plug it in and charge it like one giant Fisher-Price toy jeep or something. When you hear this, you think it’s just another thing you have to remember to charge:
Your laptop, your phone, your camera—now your car?
In Reality: Most of today’s hybrids actually make use of the regenerative charging system—which means that every time you step foot on the brake, the gas engine transfers a portion of electrical power back towards the battery so that it can remain automatically charged at all times. When charged between 40 to 60 percent of maximum capability, these hybrid batteries last a relatively long time and ensure a life span often guaranteed to surpass 100,000 miles.
2: Hybrid Cars are Weak and Have NO Power
This myth is even more ill-informed. The majority of vehicles on the road today don’t need highly abundances of power, and unless you plan on riding the Nextel Cup next year you’ll find a hybrid to suffice. The core of this issue comes from the fact that because hybrids do not use gasoline, they are at a power disadvantage.
In Reality: Hybrid performance is actually increasing all the time. Technology is constantly being developed that applies powerful attributes of gas-driven vehicles to fuel-efficient hybrid cars. For example—the Lexus G5 450h sports more than 300 horsepower and can likely defeat most gas powered cars in a 0-60 road test—so basically it’s unwise to take shots at their power. While they may be fuel efficient, they are far from underpowered.
3. Hybrids Just Cost Too Much
Many people believe that purchasing a hybrid vehicle will set their wallet back way too much. These people see some of the price tags on these cars and shriek in fright. Whether they’re simply looking at the most expensive models or are having trouble finding a solution within their price range, they go crawling right on back to the more traditional gas powered options.
In Reality: This isn’t the case; just take a look at the Toyota Prius, which starts at only $22,000. The same is true with the famous Honda Civic Hybrid, which is equally reasonable in price and amenity. While there are expensive (see Lexus) models that can go for over a $100 grand, the same applies with gasoline powered brands and vehicles. It’s called price range, and the prices range, it’s definitely not some new conspiracy contrived by hybrid automakers. The Ferrari, for instance, is a gasoline powered vehicle with a price of $500,000. Anything can be expensive, and anything can be inexpensive, the same is with hybrids. The myth at hand is just a way of avoiding change, even when innovation is clearly beneficial.
4. Hybrid Cars are for the Far Left ONLY
I’m not even sure if this one makes any sense, but many people believe that hybrid ownership is directly indicative of a liberal political proclivity. It is many people’s opinion that if they were to drive one, they would be unjustly labeled (either by society of themselves) as a bleeding heart liberal. Not wanting to involve politics in their car choice—the pass on what is nothing but a fathomable long term vehicular decision.
In Reality: In the beginning, the stigma was installed that hybrids were the choice of democrats or liberal consumers. But if this is an actual deterrent from making a purchase, you are clearly just afraid of new things. While liberals may have initially been the bulk of initial hybrid sale composition, due to the publicly known benefits of the vehicles, they are becoming a more inclusive and widely enjoyed upgrade. Conservatives, auto workers, and level-minded people have seen the opportunity to save money on fuel in a practical way and jumped on it—making the hybrid choice less political and more of just common sense.
5. Hybrid Cars are going to ELIMINATE Foreign Oil Dependency in America
Some people are rallying around optimistic claims, including how hybrid cars are going to rid our nation of our unfortunate dependency on foreign oil.
In Reality: While the amount of hybrid vehicles sold annually is increasing rapidly, the total sales only account for 2.5 percent of total cars sold in America. Some people estimate that even with the savings of all those people, the foreign oil dependency is considerably grand. The fact still remains that while hybrids are a great alternative to fossil fuels, they aren’t exactly the cure-all for foreign oil dependency.
Be Smart!
There are many myths out there that surround hybrids, but they are to be eventually erased. Unfortunately, it seems that misinformation spreads much quicker than truth in this world, but at the end of the day, the facts will prevail. It’s likely that before we know it, the clear innovative benefits and advantages to the hybrid vehicle will hit the public mainstream, and the skeptics will have not a choice but to join in what they unreasonably objected to in the first place. Until then, approach everything with an open but level mind and remember to be smart!