Hybrid Car Frequently Asked Questions

Question. What about battery life

Manufactures provide a warranty of upto 8 years in battery life. The mileage warranty varies from vehicle to vehicle.

Question: How does heat affect the battery.

Note:
The first, ordinary car battery, is subject to the same kind of torture that an ordinary battery endures in the heat. The second one, the more expensive of the two, is used for storing electric charge and is used while in motion.

While heat can take its toll on them, the batteries are capable of withstanding the tough desert climates. This does not deter customers living in such climates from buying hybrids. Besides, the manufactures provide generous warranties on their batteries, often as long as 8 years or 100,000 miles in case of the Prius from Toyota. This period of warranty may vary from state to state.

As regards temperature regulation, most of the vehicles have air vents that supply air into the battery compartment. Also, the batteries have special regulatory mechanisms which maintain an agreeable temperature in them. These systems also regulate the use of these batteries by steming the flow when the batteries get too hot.

Moral of the story: Batteries can have a long life even in harsh climates with a little extra care and protection.

Question: What about battery life in cold climates?

-Batteries have mechanisms that regulate the temperature in extreme climates.

In hybrids such as the Toyota Prius or the Ford Escape, there is a negligible loss of battery power that too only till the battery come up to optimum temperature. Some mild hybrids face a more visible performance issue in cold climates.

Question: Are EPA mileage estimates tangible?

While this is a very debatable issue, there are cases when owner have actually surpassed the mileage estimates given by EPA while some hybrids fail to achieve a decent score. It boils down to the driving conditions and ore importantly, how the driver handles the car. For instance, speeding will most definitely reduce the mileage to a considerable extent. Most hybrids have real time mileage estimators which can show how much the car might travel on the available fuel.

Question: Can the electric motor independently drive the car?

Yes. Such vehicles are called Full Hybrids. Cars such as the Toyota Prius or Ford Escape are capable of this.

There are a certain amount of restrictions on the driving conditions though.

Enough battery charge
A light load.
Optimum speed.

Question: What about the Tax Benefit for owning a hybrid car.

As a step towards promoting the sale of hybrid vehicles, the government offers tax benefits on some hybrids including the Toyota Prius, Honda Accord, Honda Insight, Honda Civic. A tax deduction of upto $2,000 is offered on vehicles put into service in 2004, 2005. A Deduction of $500 is offered for the year 2006 after which this offer will expire.

Note:
This is a one time deduction applying only to the orignal owner of the hybrid. For further information, visit the IRS website.

Question: Can hybrids attain the same speed as conventional gas-powered vehicles?

Yes. Hybrid vehicles can surpass 100mph, so they certainly can maintain highway speeds.

Question: What about the power? Are they quick enough?

There is little or no difference between Hybrids and their gas-powered cousins.

Question. How much money extra do I have to shell out for a hybrid?

Hybrids cost a little higher than their normal couterparts. The price range may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Usually, the difference is a not more than a $3,000 to $4,000.

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