Electrics and Hybrids — Eco Friendly Cars
As gasoline stretches towards the four dollar a gallon level, once again attention is turning to vehicles that are more ecologically friendly. Reducing emissions is important and saving our valuable non-renewable resources is equally important. Most major automakers now have eco friendly cars on the market. Manufacturers that do not have models on sale now do have various models in the design and development stages and are bringing them to market very quickly. Among the leaders in eco friendly cars are the electric vehicles that use no, or practically no fossil fuels in their operation.
Electric Cars
NISSAN LEAF
The Nissan Leaf has been highly touted as the first all electric vehicle for mass markets. It is beginning to become available in very limited numbers in market areas such as California. This is a true with zero tailpipe emissions and no gasoline power source for battery charging or backup propulsion should the batteries become discharged. A plug in power charging station will be required.
TESLA
The automaker TESLA has had had an electric vehicle on the market for a few years. This company touts the vehicles as premium electric vehicles. The car is actually a version of the Lotus Exige or Elise with the gasoline engine replaced by electric motors. Availability and practicality are very limited. Pricing is relatively high also. The company promises a sedan and coupe that offer more practicality in the near future.
Hybrids
FORD
Ford offers gasoline electric versions of the Fusion and the Escape SUV. These vehicles can run on electric power for limited times and use a gasoline engine to provide added propulsion and battery recharging.
TOYOTA
The third generation Prius is the benchmark for gasoline electric hybrid technology. Sales of this car have increased since the introduction of the first edition in the U.S. in 2001. Toyota also offers a Camry and Highlander Hybrid.
HONDA
The Second Generation Insight along with the CRZ and Accord hybrid are Hondas entries into the hybrid market. These eco friendly cars offer better than average gas mileage with styling that can best be described as forward thinking.
Anyone considering purchasing an electric or hybrid eco friendly car should know that batteries will need to be replaced at sometime in the future and old batteries cannot be recycled through auto recycling centers.