The Honda Civic Hybrid

The hottest trend in the automotive industry is the production of vehicles that run on dual engines. One engine is powered by traditional fuel and the other is powered by electricity. The Honda Civic Hybrid is one of these ground-breaking automobiles that put the future of the car manufacturing industry within reach. These vehicles are considered to be the impending standard of our automotive horizons.

My sister and her husband were set on buying one of these “green” vehicles this year. Both of them were ready to venture off on a new and exciting prospect that seemed to be offered to them through the Honda Civic Hybrid. They loved the idea of doing something good for the environment and they were attracted to the idea of spending less on gasoline. The Civic Hybrid has an Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV) rating and this made it more interesting to them.

The government also offers a tax incentive for those who purchase vehicles like the Honda Civic Hybrid. Buyers can save a lot of money by purchasing the new vehicles. However, the tax incentive is not nearly enough to offset the high cost of the vehicles. They are significantly more expensive than traditional cars, but in the case of the Honda hybrid, still offer all the amenities, decent performance, and the knowledge that you're doing your part to conserve fuel.

Another drawback is the complexity of the vehicle. Cars like the Honda Civic Hybrid run on two engines that rely on each other to function properly. For example, the Honda Civic Hybrid’s gas-powered engine kicks in when the vehicle is using the most energy, like running uphill. The electric engine kicks in when the car idols or runs at a consistent speed, like during travel on the highway.

The complexity of the vehicles becomes even more intricate because there is a third source of energy that fuels the cars. Vehicles like the Honda Civic Hybrid draw power through the braking system as well, storing energy produced when the cars are brought to a stop. If one of the three complex sources of power breaks, the entire vehicle is brought to a halt because each system relies on the other to function properly.

If it every breaks, and Hondas don't break very often, the costs of fixing a vehicle like the Honda Civic Hybrid can be quite costly. Once the vehicle breaks down, if it's out of warranty, the owner is faced with a hefty mechanic bill. In addition, the cars are somewhat more expensive in general. The savings in fuel costs is not enough to offset the high price of the vehicle, not to mention maintenance costs.

To balance these concerns keep in mind that Honda makes one of the most reliable vehicles you can buy, across the board of all their models, and that the Civic Hybrid comes with a 5 year, 60,000 mile powertrain warranty and an 8 year, 80,000 mile battery pack warranty.

It may benefit car shoppers to wait for the future before buying the car of the future. In fact, after shopping around for awhile my sister and her husband chose to buy a large truck powered by diesel fuel. Of course, this proves that there were other things they were looking for in a vehicle since Honda's Hybrid Civic isn't really competing with large diesel trucks.

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