Hybrid Cars: Beneficial or Not?
By Hunter Burgtorf
In recent years, hybrid cars have been promoted by eco-conscious people around the world and are believed to be the leading product to help reduce global warming. After much research, I have come to the conclusion that in the long run, hybrid cars are not any more beneficial to the environment than a vehicle with good mileage. There are many factors that contribute to my conclusion such as their production, their safety, and what they do to the environment compared to a regular car. Although hybrid cars try to reduce, reuse, and recycle, I don’t think that they are any better than the average gas powered vehicle.
Hybrid cars are exactly what their name states: a mix of two things. Hybrid cars use electricity to get power until they reach a certain speed, the Toyota Prius is 20 – 22 MPH, and then they switch to gasoline. Hybrids do not have to be plugged in or charged. Although hybrid vehicles don’t use as much gas as a normal vehicle, they are still using gas regularly. The most frequent time that hybrid cars use electricity is when they are braking. When normal vehicles brake, they use gas. When hybrids brake, they use the electricity that has been stored in a battery pack. There isn’t much difference between a hybrid vehicle and a gasoline powered car when you are driving them.
Another misconception that people have about hybrid vehicles is their cost. When you buy a hybrid vehicle, you are paying more money for it than you would an average car with good mileage. In 2010, the difference between a Ford Fusion and a Ford Fusion hybrid is $8,000. Hybrid cars also use more natural resources to be built. So even though they are polluting the air less when they are on the road, they are still killing eco-systems more rapidly than an average car is. Many people say that the price of the vehicle is renewed over time because of gas prices, but in the long run, how much are you really saving?
The way that hybrid cars are built also has a major influence on whether or not they are really eco-friendly. Through the production of the batteries used in hybrid cars, the factory is emitting fossil fuels. It is ironic that a car that is supposed to reduce the emission of fossil fuels is using them through its production to be created. Also, nickel is an important resource that is needed to make the batteries in hybrid cars. Nickel is being depleted more rapidly through hybrid cars. Hybrid cars are also lighter in weight than gasoline powered vehicles which could ultimately play a part in safety. Another safety concern is the gas and electricity switches. Because of these switches, hybrids have a slower acceleration which could possibly pose a threat to safety when a quick acceleration is needed at times such as when merging onto busy highways.
People are very boisterous about how environmentally friendly hybrid vehicles are, but the batteries that are used in them are much harder to recycle than a vehicle that uses solely gasoline’s batteries. Hybrid cars are not helping recycling as much as people originally thought. Although the batteries supposedly last long, what is going to happen when the time comes where we need to reuse them? There are toxic materials in a hybrid battery that can’t decompose. Whereas in a gasoline powered vehicle, 90% of batteries can be reused and 80% of them are in use today.
Overall, how much good are you really doing the environment when you purchase a hybrid car instead of a gasoline powered one with good mileage? The way that hybrids are built, how they run, and their cost seriously contribute to the many factors that make me wonder if they are really the best option for us in the long run. So before the consumer goes out and buys the new hybrid that their favorite celebrity is talking about, think about it. Are buyers really helping reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases or are these people just contributing to a popular trend that could have negative side effects in the long run?
