All of us want a vehicle that gives us good gas mileage, reduces the country’s dependence on oil and keeps our air pure and safe. That is why we should make our next vehicle a hybrid.  The ideal best hybrid would be an all electric car with zero emissions and one that gets three hundred miles to an overnight battery charge.  That day is predicted for our future but right now we must depend on the gas/electric hybrids which are available.  The truth about these hybrids is that they get about 20% more mileage but cost us $3,000 more than the average gasoline driven car. It will take us several years of driving before we can recoup the price difference but the good thing is that they are better made and last much longer without repairs. Many of the hybrid vehicles are bought by people who maintain the thought that they want to own the newer hybrid for the following reasons:

• Most people who buy the hybrid car want a high efficiency car.
• Most people like to have the latest in technology.
• Most people who buy the hybrid like to have something different in a vehicle.
• Most people who are willing to invest in a hybrid want to do something to help the oil problem.

One of the major concerns of the prospective hybrid buyer is the cost of battery replacement when it is needed. It seems the battery can be expensive and replacement comes about every five years.  The older batteries lead acid contents did not last long. The newer batteries NiMh and Lilon have no memory and weigh far less than the older batteries of a few years ago. The consumer still is concerned about cost replacement and someday the ideal battery can be recharged continuously without having to be replaced lasting the life time of the hybrid.

Hybrid Vehicles are new in the American market place but have been widely accepted in many of the foreign countries. The American mind set can be hard to change and often it takes years before something new is widely accepted. One of the means that the auto maker might be able to get us all to change is simply by waiting and only producing hybrids over the next ten years. In this way most Americans will have had the opportunity to buy the vehicle getting accustom to the newer models and finding that they no longer have access to the older gas guzzlers. This would but a very large dent on the oil companies which I am sure they will fight. The war between the newer hybrid vehicle and the gasoline driven vehicle will continue until we all determine what is best for the economy and preserving the earth.