Are hybrid cars really better for the environment?

The hybrid car has been touted as the green savior of the automobile industry. A decade after the Toyota Prius debuted worldwide, issues like climate change and energy security have helped push the popular hybrid's sales numbers past the two million mark -- nearly half of them sold in North America [source: Autoblog]. read more

March 30, 2009 By E/The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: If you have an electric or plug-in hybrid car, you're paying for electricity rather than gasoline all or most of the time. read more

In 39 states, a high-efficiency, conventional gas-powered hybrid, like the Toyota Prius, is better for the climate (produces fewer total “lifecycle” carbon emissions) than the least-polluting, all-electric vehicle, the Honda Fit, over the first 50,000 miles the car is driven. read more

Most hybrid cars are not plug-in cars, so the source of the power (which may well not be coal) is not relevant. My hybrid cars generate electricity from breaking or engine power. The environmental impact of hybrid cars is higher in their production than for non-hybrid varieties because of the minerals used in the electrical systems of the vehicles. read more

March 30, 2009 By E/The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: If you have an electric or plug-in hybrid car, you're paying for electricity rather than gasoline all or most of the time. read more