Gas prices are rising, so it's a good thing so many vehicles are secretly hybrid

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/14/cars/mild-hybrid/index.html


(CNN Business)With gas prices passing $5 a gallon in many places, drivers may wish that they had a hybrid vehicle. In fact, many owners of newer vehicles could already be driving a hybrid and not even know it. Hybrid technology is finding its way into all sorts of vehicles that aren't advertised as such.

For automakers, that's often part of the point.

Electric vehicle sales continue to grow every year, and more companies announce plans to ditch gasoline engines altogether. But high fuel costs and the relatively high prices of fully electric cars have meant that hybrids can still help drivers save money. And customers are purchasing hybrids in high numbers, even if they don't always recognize they're buying one.

The legacy of the Prius

The Toyota Prius sent car shoppers racing to dealerships in the early 2000s, as gasoline price spiked and a recession had them looking for fuel-efficient alternatives. But those Prius waitlists eased over the years as more hybrids entered the market. Toyota Prius sales peaked in the United States in 2012, with over 230,000 sold. In 2019, that number shrank to just over 69,000.

But at the same time, hybrid technology has become more common. And, while fully electric vehicles carry a certain cultural cache, carmakers are often cautious about calling out their gasoline-electric hybrids. While many hybrids are proudly billed as such -- the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid and Ford Escape Hybrid, for instance -- others, often vehicles with mild hybrid systems, include that information only in technical documents or the owner's manual.

*snip*

[Scrivener7]

1. My hybrid gets 50 mpg. The increase in gas prices amounts

to about the same as one takeout lunch per tank. So per two weeks.

It's lovely.

[Hugin]

2. Hybrids even improved non-hybrid vehicles.

The engine technology has been implemented across the line from efficiency, reliability, to emissions.

I guess it was cheaper than having multiple sets of tooling.