Is a hybrid a better option for you?

Over the past years, hybrid car technology has become increasingly popular among car owners around the world. The fuel economy is one of the biggest reasons that attract many people to switch from the simple gasoline engine to hybrid or completely electric vehicles in some cases. Still being a relatively new technology, the hybrid systems pose a serious question of reliability and maintenance that becomes a hurdle in the purchase decision of new car owners.

What you need to know about a hybrid:

The hybrid systems have come a long way and now have years of lab-testing and improvements. The number of companies now offering hybrid vehicles in the world has made it quite the competition. This has mostly affected the services provided by each company to provide the best for their customers. There were a lot of misconceptions among car owners when the hybrid technology was introduced. Many people thought that the batteries of hybrid cars posed a threat to the reliability of them as they could break and cost a ton to repair. Studies done on these vehicles by companies have shown consistent results of the batteries working correctly in the harshest conditions for up to 200,000. Due to the competition in this car segment, many companies have started offering low rates for replacement and repair of the battery packs in case something goes wrong. Almost all the vehicles on the market right now offer 8 years warranty for the hybrid drivetrain and battery packs. One of the great features of having a hybrid car is that your brake pads won’t wear that much. Hybrid vehicles come with a part known as regenerative braking; this causes less friction in your brakes and, therefore, longer life of your brake pads.

Benefits:

Unlike traditional cars, a hybrid powertrain delivers instant torque, so whenever you floor the accelerator from a stop, the vehicle would instantaneously launch with power, pushing you back into the seat. Many hybrid cars come with power modes. You can optimize the drive from the maximum economy to maximum efficiency. As the hybrid technology has come a long way, and now many companies offer plug-in hybrids that you can charge for more range of driving only on the batteries alone. To achieve optimum efficiency, many hybrid cars come with an Idling Stop feature which shuts off the engine when the vehicle is at a stop; all the features keep running, and you don’t even feel the difference, but when you press the accelerator again, the engine starts back up, and the car is again in motion.

Maintenance:

The hybrid systems have a regular Internal combustion engine (ICE) as the primary power plant. Therefore, they require routine maintenance as any vehicle would. Other than the hybrid system itself, the vehicle isn’t that different from regular cars. The low usage of the engine due to hybrid means that it doesn’t need persistent oil changes. For the optimum performance of your vehicle, the hybrid system needs to stay cool. The proper performance of the cooling system is necessary. You need to make sure that you use the recommended coolant and regularly check the coolant levels.

If you have any Hybrid questions check us out at Edgestoneautomotive.com or give us a call at 512-288-5050