Query: Should You Get a Hybrid or a Fully Electric Vehicle?
Context: This list consists exclusively of electric and hybrid vehicles. These cars eschew standard gasoline engines for much more technologically advanced and fuel-efficient means of propulsion. You still need to top them off in some form or another, though. Hybrid vehicles use both a gasoline engine and an electric motor instead of relying on gas alone. The electric motor works in tandem with the engine, assisting with most maneuvers to use much less gas. Conversely, the gas engine helps keep the battery charged through regenerative braking, putting power back into the battery that drives the electric motor every time you coast to a stop. Electric vehicles drop the gasoline engine entirely and rely only on electricity to run. The trade-off is that charging takes much longer and the overall driving range is much shorter. You need to plug electric vehicles in to charge them, and if you set up a quick charger at your home, you can easily top off in about half an hour. If a dedicated charger isn't handy, though, charging via a more conventional 110/120V outlet can take between four and eight hours. Plug-in hybrids are, well, hybrid hybrids. They're hybrid vehicles that charge like electric cars and can run entirely off of the electric motor and battery for a distance. If you need to drive farther than the battery allows, however, a gasoline engine keeps you moving. They offer the environmental friendliness of an electric vehicle and the convenience of a traditional gas-powered model. Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (like the Toyota Mirai) are still in their fledgling stages, even compared with hybrids and electric vehicles. They use hydrogen instead of gasoline to drive their motors, which makes them emission-free and environmentally friendly. They also have a much better range than electric vehicles. The problem is that they're currently California-only vehicles because that's the only state with a reasonable number of hydrogen fuel stations. These vehicles are all much more green and economical in the long term than cars that rely only on gasoline engines. However, they're consistently more expensive than conventional vehicles (at least initially; the savings in fuel can help make up for that with a few years of driving), and they generally offer less cargo space. Bulky batteries at least partially occupy the trunks of most hybrid and electric vehicles so there simply isn't as much room in the back for your groceries or suitcases. That said, affordable electric models are becoming increasingly common.