Employers can help make a difference - cleaner air starts with responsibility
What are hybrid vehicles?
A hybrid car, also known as an HEV or hybrid electric vehicle, is an automobile that is powered by two sources: an internal combustion engine, and an electric motor. Hybrids are cars that run off a rechargeable battery and gasoline, rather than just gasoline.
Hybrid batteries help to reduce fuel emissions because the hybrid engine draws on the battery and not gasoline when accelerating. Hybrid gasoline motors can shut off when the car is stopped and run off their electricity.
Hybrid car emissions information
Today's production hybrid cars are marketed by a single benefit: increased fuel economy. Even though it is true that hybrid cars can save drivers a bundle on gasoline and even earn them a hybrid car tax rebate, the much greater benefit is the significant reduction in emissions. Generally, hybrid cars produce 80% less harmful pollutants and greenhouse gases than comparable gasoline cars. This translates to less airborne pollutants, and a cleaner earth.
How can employers help?
Employers can help by simply providing incentives for employees who purchase hybrid vehicles for their commute to work. Employees who purchase hybrid vehicles do so primarily due to economical and environmental reasons. If your employees wish to show their responsibility for a greener planet, then you have an incredible opportunity to reward those employees for doing their part. see what other employers have done to assist their employees
Hybrid vehicle facts:
- If everyone purchased one of the four most efficient models in each vehicle class (sedans, sub-compacts, SUVs, light trucks), fuel economy would be 12 percent higher and Americans could save 13.1 billion gallons of gasoline annually (Environmental Protection Agency).
- By the end of this decade, 750,000 hybrid vehicles will be sold annually - that means one in every 23 passenger vehicles sold will be a hybrid electric (Alliance to Save Energy).
- The federal government is currently offering tax incentives for HEVs and other alternative fuel vehicles. Some states also offer incentives.
- Improvements in automobile efficiency since 1973 saved consumers $151 billion in 2004 alone - more than twice as much as the federal government spends each year on education (Alliance to Save Energy).
- The difference between a car that gets 20 MPG (miles per gallon) and one that gets 30 MPG amounts to $1,800 in gas costs over 5 years, assuming gas costs $1.80 per gallon and one drives 12,000 miles a year (Alliance to Save Energy).
- Hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius produce 90% less pollutants than comparable non-hybrid cars. By putting less harmful chemicals in the environment, the harmful effects of pollution can be halted or even reversed.
- Hybrid cars show much lower depreciation rates than standard gasoline cars. They are now and will continue to be in extremely high demand, so hybrid cars keep their values very well, making a hybrid car a sound investment.
- Hybrid cars aren't a fad. Nearly every major automobile manufacturer has announced either the launch of a hybrid car or plans for a launch. A large part of this is due to the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) regulation, by which an automaker must maintain a minimum mileage of 27.5 mpg across its product line. By investing in hybrid technology, they can offer faster, larger engines in the rest of their line.
- Current hybrid cars can get up to 60 miles to the gallon on the highway. In addition to fuel economy, they boast lower emissions and depreciation than gasoline powered cars.
- In the near future, hybrid cars are expected to get fuel mileage as high as 190 miles per gallon!
- Hybrid car sales rose 23 percent nationally to 252,636 in 2006 compared with 205,749 in 2005, according to Hybridcars.com.
- Passenger vehicles are a major source of hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, and traffic on the road accounts for about 40 percent of the pollution that contributes to ground level ozone - the main ingredient in smog.
- All hybrids use regenerative braking, which means that energy is put back into the battery when braking - this improves energy efficiency and reduces brake wear.
- Hybrid cars are good for the environment. They can reduce smog by 90 percent and they use far less gasoline than conventional cars.
- Hybrid cars are economical. They can get up to 55 to 60 mpg in city driving, while a typical SUV might travel 15-20 miles per gallon, or use three times as much gas for the same distance!
- Hybrids are better than all-electric cars because hybrid car batteries recharge as you drive so there is no need to plug in. Also, most electric cars cannot go faster than 50-60 mph, while hybrids can. Most electric cars need to be recharged every 50-100 miles.
- Find Commuting Blogs and traffic information in your area!
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