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Essay on Why Hybrid Cars Should Not Be Purchased

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As the gas price is rising up to 140 cents per litre in Canada, many people switch their vehicle to gasoline-electric hybrid car to gain savings from the better fuel efficiency. Many potential consumers for hybrid vehicle and hybrid vehicle owners think that the hybrid system is worth the extra penny due to better fuel economy. However, the realistic is that it has higher maintenance despite of its outstanding fuel economy figures. In fact, the hybrids cause more environmental damage than conventional petro powered vehicles and there are better alternatives. Therefore, hybrids should not be on consumers’ shopping list due to a numerous negative facts that consumers are unaware of.
Many Automobile manufactures want consumers to believe …show more content…

As a result, consumer is forced to pay for the battery pack which costs around $4,000 from their pocket, not manufactures’. When the battery pack is replaced, despite of good fuel economy, it costs more to own hybrid than conventional vehicle.
Many people buy hybrid cars because they have been told that hybrids are much more eco-friendly than any other vehicles out on the market and they feel proud for supporting the Mother Nature. Surprisingly, it is a fact that a recent report announced that the Toyota Prius has a higher life time energy cost than Hummer H1 SUV (kentlaw.edu). It also states, “There are, however, environmental costs to mining and smelting (in Canada) 1,000 tons a year of zinc for the battery-powered second motor, and the shipping of the zinc 10,000 miles - trailing a cloud of carbon - to Wales for refining and then to China for turning it into the component that goes to a battery factory in Japan” (kentlaw.edu). In other words, the hybrids emit less carbon dioxide and other gases but it releases far more energies and toxic gases into atmosphere at production and disposal stage.
In addition, consumer must be aware that there are better alternatives to hybrids on market. Thanks to advancing technology, many petro powered and diesel powered vehicle get similar EPA fuel economy on highway. From German automotive manufacture, they have developed Clean Diesel such as Blue Tec from Mercedes-Benz and TDI from Volkswagen which

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