Unless you’ve been asleep as long as Rip Van Winkle, you’re familiar with the term hybrid. And it appears that hybrids will be morphing into even more forms before the 21st century is past. Mild hybrids, full hybrids, plug-in hybrids—even 2-mode hybrids are terms that slide off automotive tongues with nary a second thought.
But is hybrid technology—and the accompanying price premium—just pulling the wool over our eyes? In our increasingly complicated modern world, are hybrids just one more stepping stone on the way to techno overload? Could they be just another way that money-hungry automobile manufacturers have found to deposit more of our monthly paycheck into their pockets?
Gasoline, Diesel or Hybrid? We do concede that there are instances where regular direct-injection gasoline and diesel engines actually offer clean emissions and excellent fuel mileage without the complicated battery and motor apparatuses that comprise hybrids. Case in point:
When all else is equal and a small economy car fits your needs and budget, choose an efficient 4-cylinder model and utilize smart fuel-saving strategies. That's not only easier on the earth and your fuel budget, it saves on that hybrid premium.
However, hybrid packages really strut their stuff in applications where the electric motor supplies substantial power—enough to move the vehicle alone. These are the cases where smaller efficient engines can be used as the other half of the equation, and the total emissions and fuel consumed per mile really does drop substantially compared to an engine-only version of the same vehicle. While some manufacturers have put a hybrid package in otherwise efficient cars (with the payback being miniscule), there are several that do give serious bang for the buck. Let’s take a closer look at the most popular one, the Toyota Prius.
A Closer Look at the Prius.The popular Prius has a fairly large electric motor (about 60 horsepower) that allows the car to get by with a relatively small gasoline engine (about 70 horsepower). That small engine blesses the Prius with exceptional fuel mileage—but that would be false economy if that engine had to perform alone in real world traffic. But the electric motor that consumes no gasoline and emits no emissions assists in propelling the car—and yes, under the right conditions, it also drives the car independently. Furthermore, most of the energy required to run the motor is supplied by regenerative braking. It takes energy that would be lost as heat during braking (a by-product of friction) and turns it into free, useful power. It is precisely this balance of gasoline engine and electric motor that lets the Prius attain better than 50 mpg while still achieving practical locomotion. And it doesn’t take a genius to dally over to www.fueleconomy.gov and punch in a few numbers to compare fuel savings and greenhouse gas emissions on hybrids vs. conventional cars. Who’s really fooling who here? Anytime emissions can be slashed and fuel saved, we all win.
But diesels could be a different story. For example, a modern clean diesel vehicle costs $3,000 or more than the same model car with a gasoline engine. And that diesel will take a substantially higher number of miles and a longer term of ownership to bring the payoff into the black. Yet these newer, cleaner diesels—that emit gasoline engine-like emissions—are still another step in the right direction.
So What’s the Best Choice? Even if a case could be made that every conventional hybrid is an inefficient way to cut emissions, the continuing development of the technology is leading the way to plug-in hybrids that are truly zero emissions vehicles during most of their operating time. Fold renewable energy (wind and solar power) into the equation to supply those electrons during their plug-in recharge time and we see win-win, not hype-hype.
But whether you buy into the battery-motor-engine concept or not, every hybrid on the road today is already saving fuel and slashing emissions. And that’s another step in the right direction—a direction that involves many different parts, people and technologies. There isn’t one right way or one huge answer that’s going to get us out of the hole we’re in. It’s going to take continued commitment, dedication to efficiency, and passion to keep us on the path to a cleaner and sustainable energy future.
“We have not inherited the Earth from our fathers. We are borrowing it from our children.” --Native American Saying
Daily choice does make a difference. What’s yours going to be?
