Disadvantages Of Buying Hybrid Cars
Hybrid cars have been a great hit in the market for over a decade. There are various models of hybrid cars available in the market. People prefer buying hybrid cars for various reasons. A hybrid car runs on two engines, namely combustion and electric motor. One of the major advantages of using a hybrid car is its reduced fuel expenses. You can very well achieve a high mileage with the use of hybrid cars. They are eco-friendly cars and contribute to reducing the carbon footprint. But there are specific issues of using hybrid cars. The following gives the various drawbacks of using hybrid cars.
Hybrid Cars – Battery Issues
Battery Dependent: This is the common issue faced by hybrid car owners. The car makes use of the battery power, and this may cut off the fuel cost. Batteries are part of the powertrain of hybrid cars. You cannot operate a hybrid car with drained out batteries. You are forced to replace your battery when it cannot hold a charge.
Expensive Battery Replacement: Purchasing a new battery for your hybrid car is quite costly. A new battery from a reputed dealer may cost about $2500. You may go to a cheap refurbished unit. But it may not last long. This makes it risky to invest in used hybrid cars.
Limited Life-Time- The life-time of hybrid cars is about 8-10 years. This seems to be a limited period. There are chances for your battery to fail before its lifetime. This forces you to replace your battery before its lifetime.
Hybrid Cars Do Not Save Money
Many wish to buy hybrid cars to cut off fuel expenses. Investing in a hybrid car does not save you any money. This is because of the following reasons.
Expensive Cars: The cost of hybrid cars is quite expensive than the regular cars in the market. To buy a highly sophisticated hybrid car, you need to spend about $30,000.
Maintenance Is Costly: The servicing and maintenance cost of hybrid cars is too high. Hybrid cars run with two engines, and this adds up to the maintenance cost. Also, a local garage does not take up servicing of hybrid cars.
No Exemption of Tax: Hybrid cars are not exempt from taxes like road tax, car tax etc.
No Discounts or Incentives: Car companies do not offer discounts or incentives to hybrid cars. This makes hybrid cars expensive.
Hybrid Cars and Performance Issues
Two different engines usually power a hybrid car. This results in performance issues with hybrid cars. The dual engines impose significant overhead. The horsepower of hybrid car engines is less when compared with conventional cars. This makes it less potent on the roads. The size of the fuel engine is small, which reduces its performance. The continuous variable transmission (CVT) of hybrid cars makes it less powerful than ordinary cars.
The above are some of the significant disadvantages and hidden issues of using hybrid cars. Thus a hybrid car can be an ideal pick for people looking for an eco-friendly vehicle.