A hybrid car feels like a half-way house – a compromise. Many view having two engines based on entirely different drivetrains seems excessive and pointless. Especially the men that love their fast cars, whether it be American Muscle, Euro super car or tricked out Lowrider!
But then when you see what some of the world’s top sports car manufacturers are doing, you realize that going hybrid isn’t a compromise at all. It’s actually the best solution, given current technology. The Mclaren P1, Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 917 are all hypercars, and they all use dual drivetrains.
Are you thinking about buying a hybrid car? Here are some reasons you should bite the bullet and pay the slightly higher upfront cost.
Decent Resale Value
Even though hybrid vehicles are more technically complicated than their ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) counterparts, they tend to better hold their value. It turns out that these vehicles’ electronic components don’t wear out as fast as the combustion engine. So even if you use it a lot, you can often avoid the massive depreciation you typically see with conventional vehicles.
Better Safety Tech
There are 6 deaths per 100,000 on the roads in some cities in the US. That’s higher than the number of people killed by COVID-19 in most countries. And it happens every year. It’s a big deal.
A hybrid car, though, might be an essential part of the solution. They tend to combine the best of electric drive trains with sophisticated safety equipment to appeal to their target market. Things like lane change warnings, blind-spot detection, parking assist, and emergency braking often come as standard. Some vehicles will even issue an alert if they detect that you’re becoming drowsy.
No Idling
Hybrid vehicles are, first and foremost, about improving the environment and reducing pollution in cities. Their electric motors mean that they don’t have to idle, like a regular ICE car. You just bring the vehicle to a halt, and there’s nothing – just silence – so long as the regular combustion engine isn’t running.
Instant Power
You can have an 800 bhp supercar, but unless it’s electric, there’s always a delay between putting your foot down and getting the acceleration you want. Naturally-aspirated engines have the least lag because they don’t charge turbos. But most powerful vehicles rely on giant turbochargers to provide the extra power they need to propel themselves forwards. The problem is that these tend to take a long time to charge – over a second in some vehicles – so you don’t get that instant acceleration you want.
Hybrid vehicles are different. You don’t actually have to wait for the main motor to power up before you get forward thrust. Electric motors deliver power to the vehicle instantly. If you haven’t experienced it yet, you’re in for a bit of a shock.
Lower Taxes
Finally, there are often tax incentives on hybrid cars that you don’t get on conventional gas-guzzlers. Cities will often waive congestion charges, and national authorities will charge lower road tax if you drive a cleaner vehicle, like a PHEV. The idea is to get more people to drive cars that are friendly to the environment.
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