Should You Buy an Electric Car or a Hybrid?

Should You Buy an Electric Car or a Hybrid?

With emission standards becoming stricter with passing years, you need to consider vehicles that more environmentally friendly, like a hybrid car or an electric car. While both are green vehicles, they have their advantages and disadvantages. So the big question is which car you should buy. Here we have compared electric vehicles with hybrid cars to help you make the right decision.

What Is an Electric Car?

An electric car runs on electrical energy stored in batteries. An electric car has a rechargeable battery pack which has thousands of Li-ion cells connected in series. Depending on the car and the size of the battery, electric cars have a range of up to 250-300 miles.

When an electric car’s battery is drained, the battery needs to be recharged from a dedicated charging unit or a wall socket. One of the advantages of an electric car is that you can charge the battery at home by leaving it connected to wall socket overnight.

What Is a Hybrid Car?

A hybrid car is a combination of a traditional car and an electric car. It has a gasoline engine and an electric motor connected to a traction battery pack. The main engine in a hybrid car is the gasoline engine while the electric motor acts as a supplementary engine to increase fuel efficiency. Since a hybrid car burns fossil fuel, it is not considered a truly electric vehicle. 

The hybrid car has an unlimited range like traditional cars as there is a good network of fuel stations in rural and urban areas. A standard hybrid car does not offer an option to charge the traction battery pack at charging station or through a wall socket. The traction battery pack is charged through regenerative braking system that traps energy when the brakes are applied.

Which Car Is More Environmentally Friendly?

An electric car does not use fossil fuel and has no emissions, making them the most environmentally friendly cars. A hybrid vehicle uses fossil fuel most of the time and the traction battery pack is also quite small. The tailpipe emissions of a hybrid car are lower than traditional cars but significantly more than electric cars, so a hybrid car is less environmentally friendly than an electric car.

Which Car Should You Buy?

The answer to this question is not simple, as a lot of factors need to be considered. Here is the main things you should take into consideration:

• Price: Electric cars are expensive. They are 70 percent more expensive than traditional vehicles. On the other hand, hybrid vehicles are more affordable. They are only 20 percent more expensive than traditional vehicles.
• Tax Rebates: The U.S. government provides IRS tax credit for $2,500-$7,500 per new electric car bought. Hybrid cars also get a tax credit but the credit amount depends on the battery capacity of the vehicle.

The right car for you is the one that fits in your budget and meets your transport needs. If you live in an area with good charging infrastructure, you can opt for an electric car. If you go off-road more often or live in a rural area, a hybrid car would be a better option