| You may have seen one zipping past you in the high | | | | manufacturers produce hybrid cars and light trucks in |
| occupancy lane, a lone driver at the wheel. It's a | | | | nearly every category including family-sized sedans, |
| gasoline-electric hybrid car and driving in the HOV lane | | | | sport utility vehicles and minivans. The smallest cars |
| is just one of the benefits of ownership in many | | | | still get the best gas mileage, but larger hybrids |
| states. But what is a hybrid? How does it work? Is it | | | | consistently outperform their regular siblings in gas |
| the right car for you and your family?A hybrid car | | | | mileage and carbon dioxide emissions.Unfortunately, |
| has a both a gasoline engine and a battery. The | | | | hybrid cars cost more than regular models. In the |
| battery is recharged by energy from the gasoline | | | | case of the 2006 Honda Civic, the hybrid model costs |
| engine that would normally be lost during braking or | | | | almost $7,000 more than the regular model. Congress |
| decelerating. The car uses either the battery or the | | | | passed a law providing tax credits for hybrid car |
| gasoline engine depending on several factors including | | | | owners that took effect on January 1, 2006 that |
| how fast the car is traveling. Sometimes, both will | | | | would save the buyer of a 2006 Civic Hybrid $2,100. |
| work together to provide an extra boost of power | | | | It would take several years to break even on the |
| without using too much extra fuel.The result of this | | | | purchase of a hybrid counting gasoline savings alone. |
| technology is cars that get significantly better gas | | | | However, many hybrid owners are as dedicated to |
| mileage and produce less carbon dioxide emissions | | | | the environmental benefits of driving a hybrid as they |
| that traditional gasoline powered cars. For example, | | | | are to the money they save.One of the fears when |
| according to Honda, the 2006 Civic Hybrid gets 50 | | | | hybrid cars first became available was that |
| miles to the gallon on the highway, 14 miles to the | | | | maintenance and insurance costs would be prohibitive. |
| gallon better than the 2003 regular Civic. When driven | | | | Research has shown that regular maintenance costs |
| the national average of 12,000 miles, that represents | | | | for hybrid vehicles are no higher than for regular |
| a savings of 69 gallons of gas and 258 pounds of | | | | vehicles. Additionally, hybrid car owners are less likely |
| carbon dioxide per year.In the early days of hybrid | | | | to be involved in accidents and some insurance |
| cars, there were few models to choose from. People | | | | companies have begun offering discounts to hybrid |
| desiring to purchase a hybrid car were stuck in tiny | | | | car owners. |
| cars with little cargo space. Today, however, | | | | |