How do so few of you know that most hybrids don't plug into a wall or charge from the grid?You might consider factoring in the cost per kWh for electricity to charge the battery and the declining efficiency of the battery with time. That “8-10 mpg” won’t be linear over 100k miles.
Then there’s the fact that 63% of the electricity consumed in the USA is generated by fossil fuels and an additional (gasp) 20% is generated by nuclear reactors. That leaves a paltry 17% of electric being generated by renewable sources.
So unless you live in an area of the country that has electricity that was generated from 100% renewable energy, you’re still part of the fossil fuel problem. Worse, you’re part of the spent nuclear fuel problem that no one has a solution for (toxic for generations).
And of course, the USA doesn’t have the Generation capacity necessary to support a sudden shift toward hybrid/all-electric vehicles. But that’s a story for a different time.
And by the way, electricity generated by renewable sources is substantially more expensive than traditional fossil fuel sources. So as that shift occurs toward a higher percentage of electricity from renewable sources, your operational costs will rise as well.
Do all the math. There are no free rides with hybrids and all-electric solutions.
Hybrids get their energy from capturing your kinetic energy as you brake and storing that in the battery. The energy that is normally wasted as heat in your brakes is instead stored to help your gas motor accelerate you at a later time
There are
Hybrids
Plug in hybrids
Electric
They are 3 different and distinct things.
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