GREEN LIVING: The Hybrid Electric Vehicle - Saving Money While Saving The Environment‏

by Anna Stenning

The word 'Hybrid' doesn't really inspire images of cars with British people; though the vehicles have been available for many years over here, the technology hasn't quite penetrated the way it has in America just yet, but that seems to be changing in recent times with vehicles by Honda and Toyota being both commercially and critically successful.

Though the word 'Hybrid' may remind us of such diverse subjects as science fiction films or plants, the hybrid electric vehicle ranges from manufacturers such as Honda, Toyota and Ford are soon to be added to that list.

Combining both traditional fossil-fuel and modern electric propulsion systems, the hybrid contains many facets of power saving technology, including kinetic energy battery charging, shutting down the conventional engine when the vehicle isn't in motion and purely electric propulsion at lower speeds on some models, these vehicles are an excellent way of getting around while saving money on both fuel and electricity, making them both good for you and for the planet.

In the current economic climate, many of us are trying our best to save money and purchasing a hybrid vehicle such as a Ford Escape, Honda Civic or Toyota Prius is an excellent way to save ourselves money on fuel, but this technology is also kind to the environment. Requiring less petrol than most traditional vehicles, this saves on both environmentally damaging emissions and non-renewable fossil fuels, while the inbuilt recharging of the electrics will save on your homes carbon footprint as the battery will need to be recharged less often.

Although the economy will recover from its current state, any damage done to the environment is permanent until we develop a way to reverse the effects that we have had on the ozone layer and as such, it is important that we all take steps towards minimising the damage we do with our daily activities and a hybrid vehicle such as a Honda Civic is one of the best solutions to this if other transport methods aren't viable.

Often costing far less than you may expect, hybrid electric cars such as a Ford Escape or Honda Civic can be as kind to your bank account as they are to the planet and, with both the economy and the health of the planet being overarching concerns for many of us, choosing a greener way to travel is one way we can allay these fears.

Anna Stenning is a car journalist with many years of experience driving and writing about hybrid vehicles. Find out more about hybrid cars from Honda at http://www.hondainchcape.co.uk/