Hybrid Cars for a Greener Wallet and Environment

Hybrid cars, trucks, and SUVs are a great alternative to regular cars. Although they are usually more expensive than the standard model, by $2,000 - $3,000, depending on the make and model, the savings that you can get with a hybrid over the course of the life of the car more than make up for that. Furthermore, by buying and driving a hybrid car, you reduce our nation's dependency on foreign oil and you show marketers and car-manufacturing companies that there is, in fact, a demand for hybrid vehicles.

It is true that hybrid cars are more expensive than the models with a standard engine. However, there are many benefits that you get with the hybrid that offset that cost over the lifetime oh hybrid cars. For example, a Honda Civic hybrid may yield between 10 and 15 miles more per gallon than a standard Honda Civic, depending on your driving habits. With gas at $3.00 a gallon and going up fast, this can translate into huge savings for you at the pump. Furthermore, many states as well as the federal government offer tax incentives for buying hybrid cars, which can translate to even more savings for you come tax time.

Reducing our country's dependency is at the top of most people's list of political goals, irrespective of your political leanings. Not only do hybrid cars represent a fantastic opportunity to save money, they also use less gas which translates to less dependency on foreign oil. This is important not just for the safety of the country and it's citizens, but it allows our government officials to do the right things and make the moral choices in troubled areas of the world without worrying about how our economy will survive without the foreign oil.

Finally, by buying and driving a hybrid car you are showing car manufacturers that there is, in fact, a demand for cars that leave a smaller environmental footprint. Some companies have been skeptical of transitioning their models to hybrid engines because they think that the market for the technology is too small to be profitable. Toyota has proven the U. S. automakers wrong with record demand for the Prius and waiting lists as long as six months.

By buying a hybrid car, you are ensuring the availability of a wide selection of hybrid cars in a variety of price ranges for yourself and for others in the future. Furthermore, if we are to lessen the environmental impact of driving, we need to support those companies that invest in being green to show other companies that they can make a profit and be good to the environment at the same time.

Green cars today, blue skies tomorrow.

Lance Freeman writes about hybrid cars and other technology within the automotive and environmental fields.