12 Common Hybrid Car Myths
Hybrid Car Myth #1:
"You don't want a hybrid 'cause every couple days you've gotta plug them in somewhere to recharge the batteries."
Funny how you hear otherwise normally intelligent people make this ignorant statement. Probably because just the word "electricity" conjures up images of cords and sockets and circuit breakers and blown fuses.
But, interestingly enough, many hybrid car owners actually would like the ability to plug in their vehicles at night. This way, they can use that much less gasoline; the gas engine part of the hybrid would now need to run that much less when they made their morning commutes. Now, nothing's free--especially energy, however, the idea here is that the additional charges on their monthly electric bill would still be far less than the added $3.00+ per each additional gallon of fuel.
(The 2007 and beyond hybrid electric vehicles are supposedly going to have the capability to plug them in.)
Hybrid Car Myth #2:
"Hybrids? No, I'd never get one because you've gotta recharge them at 'special' service stations that are uniquely equipped to recharge the hybrid's batteries."
To expand on #1 above: The main reason that hybrid-electric cars are able to get going in the morning without overnight recharging is the gasoline motor. Secondary to this is a great invention called "regenerative braking." Regenerative braking simply takes most of the energy needed to stop the car and uses it to recharge the batteries. Simple but ingenius. A side benefit of this is that the brake pads last longer.
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