Why Hybrids?

• Home •
• Become a Member •
• Activities •
• MPG Challenge •
• Driving Directions / Map •
• Where To Stay •
• Become a Volunteer •
• Press Coverage •
• EcoDriving •
• Why Hybrids? •
• Links •
• 2007 Hybridfest Photos •

Add me to the Hybridfest

Email List:

Become a Hybridfest Volunteer!
To make the Hybridfest experience even more personal, we are looking for volunteers just like you! If you'd like to help, take a look at the volunteer opportunities available.


	Driving Directions / Map

THANK YOU

to our 2007 sponsors!

(Please support them!)

What is a hybrid car?

Any vehicle is a hybrid when it combines two or more propulsion systems. Hybrid cars have two propulsion systems: 1) an engine that burns gasoline, and 2) and electric motor that uses electricity stored in a battery.

Gasoline engines in hybrids are smaller and more efficient since additional power is provided by the electric motor.

When the car is stopped, the gasoline engine is automatically shut off.

Hybrid cars recover some energy when braking and coasting and use it to charge the battery.

Hybrid cars are often lighter and more aerodynamic; tires are often stiffer and inflated higher to reduce drag.

Why Drive a Hybrid Car?

Hybrid cars top the list of the least polluting and most fuel efficient vehicles on the road.

Produce up to 50% less greenhouse gasses that cause global warming. There's more CO2 in our atmosphere today than at any point in the last 650,000 years. The 10 warmest years in the last 2,000 years all happened since the mid-1990's, and 2005 was the hottest year on record.

Produce up to 90% fewer smog-forming pollutants (NOx and hydrocarbons).

Save money on gas with prices reaching record highs.

Reduce dependence on foreign oil. If all cars in the US were hybrids, it would save 1.5 billion barrels of oil a year, or about half of the oil we import.

New federal tax credit of up to $3,000 for buying a hybrid car. This new tax credit is much more valuable than the prior hybrid car tax deduction.

Many state and local governments are offering hybrid drivers solo use of carpool lanes and preferred or free parking.

Hybrid Cars Q and A

Do you have to plug it in?

No, hybrid cars use recovered braking and coasting energy and sometimes engine power to charge the battery. But there would be great benefits if car manufacturers would make plug-in hybrids that give hybrids a second external energy source. Read all about it at the Plug-In Partners.

Do you decide when to use gas and when to use electric?

No, a computer in the hybrid car decides when to use the gas engine, when to use the electric motor, and when to use both. You just drive it like a standard car.

How good is the gas mileage in real-world driving?

Official EPA fuel economy numbers are inflated 10% to 20% for all cars—not just hybrids. The EPA has recently announced a plan to change their test procedures to make them more realistic. Your driving style has a big impact on mileage. The instant feedback mileage displays in hybrid cars help teach how to drive for better mileage. Come to Hybridfest and ask hybrid car owners what mileage they get!