• High tech hybrid engines can run on battery power.Detailansicht Hybrid Motor image by 3rdTwin from Fotolia.com
  
  Hybrid vehicles run on both gasoline and electric power. The gas engine provides power at high speeds, and when quick acceleration is needed, but the car also contains a battery that can provide supplementary power, especially during city driving. This saves on fossil fuels, and provides several environmental advantages.
  
  

Fewer Greenhouse Gases

• With an advertised gas mileage of between 48 and 60 mpg, hybrid vehicles use significantly less gas than even fuel-efficient conventional cars. When compared to a truck or SUV, the savings can be as much as 40 miles per gallon. All this adds up to less carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere. When gasoline is burned, the combustion produces about 19 pounds of CO2 for each gallon consumed. Transportation accounts for over a quarter of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Using a hybrid vehicle cuts this source of greenhouse gas significantly.
  
  

Less Pollution

• Cars are a source of smog and air pollutants like sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and soot, especially in cities, where slow and stop-start driving leads to extra gas being burned while vehicles idle. This is where hybrid vehicles have a particular advantage, because the electric battery operation in a hybrid is designed to kick in for low speed city driving. Many hybrid drivers find they can do the majority of their city commute without the gas engine starting up. This cuts down on particulate pollution in cities.
  
  

Lifecycle Costs

• It takes significant amounts of energy to manufacture vehicles, so a true analysis of their total environmental impact includes both the production costs and the on-road impact. According to the Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment, hybrids compare very well in this analysis. They are no more environmentally damaging to produce than gasoline powered vehicles, and save considerably on environmental impact when they're on the road. Compared to wholly battery-powered electric cars, they are much less costly to produce, and because their batteries are recharged while on the road, they are also greener while in use.