Hybrid cars: pros and cons
Road transport is a powerful source of environmental pollution. The fact does not need additional confirmation, it is enough to compare the state of the atmosphere in a big city with the air in the countryside - the difference is obvious. However, many tourists who have visited European countries, the USA or Japan know that gas pollution is not so strong here, and there is a simple explanation for this:
- more stringent standards for CO2 emissions into the atmosphere - today the Euro-6 standard has already been adopted, while in Russia domestic-made engines, the same YaMZ, ZMZ and UMP, meet Euro-2, Euro-3 standards;
- widespread introduction of ecological transport - electric vehicles, hybrids, hydrogen and vegetable fuel vehicles, even the LPG we are used to produce less emissions;
- responsible attitude to the environment – Europeans are very happy to use public transport, ride bicycles, while in our country there are not even normal bike paths everywhere.
It is worth saying that hybrids are slowly but more and more confidently beginning to appear on our roads. What makes people switch to this type of transport? Let's try to understand this issue on our website Vodi.su.
pros
The most important plus we outlined above is environmental friendliness. The most environmentally friendly are plug-in hybrids that can be charged directly from a wall outlet. They install powerful batteries and electric motors, their charge is enough for 150-200 kilometers. The internal combustion engine is used solely in order to be able to get to the nearest source of electricity.
There are also types of hybrid auto mild and full. In moderate, the electric motor plays the role of an additional source of energy, in full, they work on an equal footing. Thanks to alternators, batteries can be charged while a conventional gasoline engine is running. Also, almost all models use a brake force recovery system, that is, braking energy is used to charge batteries.
Depending on the type of engine, a hybrid can consume up to 25 percent less fuel than its diesel or petrol counterparts.
More advanced models of hybrid cars, which we talked about in detail on Vodi.su, can cost only 30-50% of fuel, respectively, they need not 100-7 liters per 15 km, but much less.
For all their emissions performance, hybrids are just as technically superior to conventional cars as they have the same engine power, the same torque.
Another important point is that the governments of many countries are interested in the wider introduction of such environmentally friendly cars, therefore they offer favorable conditions for motorists. You don't have to go far - even in neighboring Ukraine, it is much more profitable to import hybrids from abroad, because the government has abolished a special import duty on them. Also in the United States, when buying a hybrid on credit, the state can compensate for part of the costs, although in America the interest on the loan is already low - 3-4% per year.
There is evidence that similar concessions will appear in Russia. For example, it is planned that when buying a hybrid car from an official dealer, the state will provide a grant in the amount of $1000.
In principle, the special positive qualities of hybrids end there. There are also negative sides and they are not few.
Cons
The main disadvantage is the cost, even abroad it is 20-50 percent higher than that of a model with an internal combustion engine. For the same reason, in the CIS countries, hybrids are not presented in the largest assortment - manufacturers are not very willing to bring them to us, knowing that demand will be minimal. But, despite this, some dealers offer a direct order of certain models.
The second disadvantage is the high cost of repairs. If the battery fails (and sooner or later it will), buying a new one will be very expensive. The power of the internal combustion engine will be very small for normal driving.
Disposal of hybrids is much more expensive, again because of the battery.
Also, batteries of hybrid cars are characterized by all the problems of batteries: fear of low temperatures, self-discharge, shedding of plates. That is, we can say that a hybrid is not the best choice for cold regions, it simply will not work here.
Loading…
