Why my next car will be a hybrid

Based purely on experience renting a hybrid for two days not too long ago, I've decided that my next car will definitely have this technology, especially if fully electric vehicles are still not entirely cost effective by then. 

Considering the amount of work still needed to get the infrastructure up and ready and have charging stations as ubiquitous as gas stations are now, we need something in the meantime, and I've found that hybrids are the perfect interim technology so that we can eliminate gas-powered vehicles entirely before we can completely rely on electric. 

After all, it may take one or two generations of e-car innovations to work out the major kinks so that e-vehicles are hassle-free enough to be worth spending money on. In addition to the availability of charging stations, there's also the question of safety and maintenance. Until all this has been ironed out, we should all consider switching to a hybrid while we continue to prepare our roadways to support fully electric transportation. 

I DON'T REALLY DRIVE THESE DAYS.

Full disclosure, I didn't really notice much of a difference while driving the hybrid around town. Mind you, because I don't drive in New York City, there's a sense of novelty every time I get behind the wheel now. The dashboard looks slightly different since I last owned a car. The arrangement of the gauges have a modern twist and I have to get used to where to look to see where the usual components are--the speedometer, the gas gauge, the engine temperature, et al. There's now a large touchscreen that allows you to connect to your phone and utilize your own music and GPS app. No more CD players. My point is, because I don't drive on a regular basis, I may not know anymore how driving a regular gas-powered vehicle should feel. If the engine is quieter and powering the ignition virtually inaudible, is that because it's a hybrid or is that simply how cars are these days? 

WHAT MADE ME NOTICE

Nevertheless, I go back to my point that for the most part, the hybrid handled  like any car I've driven in the past albeit with more modern features. The impressive surprise came when I stopped to fill up before returning it to the rental company. I paid $1.50 to fill the tank. A dollar fifty! I had noticed the gas gauge not really move, but maybe it was part of the new design that I didn't understand. With all the driving that I did to get supplies and food, to the Salvation Army to donate items, in suburban streets and on the highway, I expected to pay at least $10 to fill up the tank. This is usually how much I'd spent on gas with rentals of similar duration in the past. With today's gas prices, I thought $10 would at the low end of the price range. I definitely realized there is something to this technology after all. 

AN IDEA OF HOW HYBRIDS WORK

While trying different buttons on the touchscreen, I came across an animation that gave you an idea of how the hybrid works--I wish I took a picture of it. Moving arrows show when energy from the wheel and the engine are moved to charge the battery. Cool, I thought although I had no idea to what extent that energy was being saved to minimize the use of gasoline until I filled up the tank and realized it was still full.

As already mentioned, this assessment is based mainly on experience. I have not done any research. I have no need to at this point. However, a quick search and scroll through Google show pros and cons and some issues to consider--street vs. highway driving, summer vs. winter performance, difference in sticker prices, which are things I will definitely consider when I'm in the market for my next car. 

BIAS FOR HYBRIDS

However, when that time comes, I'm likely going to be biased toward hybrids. With my dedication to the environment and considering the ever increasing frequency and severity of storms, the ever worsening drought and wildfires out West, the thawing of the permafrost up north, the drying of bodies of water everywhere, and other warning signs that climate change and its threatening and increasingly lethal consequences will continue unless we make significant changes in our daily, even mundane decisions, I think it's best to err for the planet. 

There will always be drawbacks to every decision that we make. However, you will have made the right one if those decisions help reverse the trend in our changing global climate, cause fewer and fewer people to lose their property and lives, ease the drastic changes in ecosystems, and decrease the stress levels of every species on this planet, including ours.   

Bottom line, if I spent $1.50 on gas driving around town for two days, it's a good sign that it's a piece of technology worth investing in. If we all drove hybrids, our individual gas budgets will plummet. Our communal dependence on fossil fuels will plunge, and our air will be so much cleaner.