Pros and Cons of Hybrid Cars

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Ron Coogan, with greencar.com. Today, we're going to talk about the pros and cons of hybrid vehicles. First of all, let's talk about the pros. Extremely low emissions, very high fuel efficiency compared to most vehicles. What's not to like? Depending on the hybrid model you choose, that fuel efficiency could be up to fifty miles per gallon or more, so hybrids certainly have a place on the road today. Now, when when people start talking about the cons of hybrids they're really thinking about two things and that would be the cost. Typically, hybrids are going to cost anywhere from fifteen hundred to maybe three thousand or four thousand dollars more, depending. Mild hybrids, the ones that just give you a slight bump in fuel economy are the ones that'll come in about fifteen hundred dollars; full hybrids; more likely three thousand or so. The other con that people talk about involves the batteries. There are two issues here. First of all, how long are the batteries going to last? And really, nobody knows, because hybrids haven't been out long enough to be able to prove that in the real world. A lot of bench testing has been done, a lot of laboratory testing. Automakers already warranty them for eight to ten years; say they'll last the life of the car, but eventually, those batteries will need to be replaced. Another issue with batteries is what happens to them in the end? Where do they go? Is it is it a problem for our landfills? And the answer is no, it's not a problem. There batteries are already cycled. It's one of the great success stories. A lot of batteries are are diverted from landfills. Companies have very dynamic programs for turning in old batteries so they can be dealt with properly and recycled. It's all, it's also a very highly regulated industry. Nickel metal hydride batteries, or the type that are in hybrid cars, same story, and when we get beyond that into electric cars with perhaps other battery technologies it will be the same as well. Batteries will be recycled. They'll stay out of the landfill."