Hybrid electric vehicles may be an intelligent choice

A rational alternative 

to electric vehicles

( which actually "burn"

mainly coal and natural gas,

used to generate electricity )

is the chargeable hybrid. 

An average car owner 

drives less than 50 miles 

per day.

Electric vehicles try to give you 

a range of 300 miles or more 

per charge. 

This means they are equipped 

with batteries more than six times 

larger than needed for daily usage. 

Those batteries require
more rare earth metals 

to be mined 
at a greater human, 

environmental, 
and economic cost 

than is necessary.

The chargeable hybrid has a 

much smaller battery, 

but also a small gasoline engine

that kicks in on rare occasions 

when you need to drive longer.

When you're driving in the city, 

you will mostly be in electrical mode, 

not contributing noise.

and pollutants from gasoline. 

So you would be environmentally

friendly, where it is most needed 

– in densely populated areas.

When the battery is small, 

no special high-power charger

is needed. 

You can just plug the car 

into an ordinary socket 

and charge it overnight.

Hybrids are 
not more popular

because they are not 
“pure” enough 

for environmentalists. 

Hybrids don't get all the 

research and development 

investment that they deserve. 

They are a competitive alternative 

to the ordinary gasoline car.

I test drove, and considered, 

a Toyota Camry Hybrid in 2016.

It was a good vehicle, with extra
power versus only a gas engine,
although that power was delivered
with a lag.

    Note added April 18, 2019:
      I test drove a 2019 Camry hybrid
      yesterday, and it was excellent,
      with no power lag, as there 
      was in 2016.

I ended up leasing a less expansive

2016 Toyota Camry (non-hybrid)
simply because it was not going 
to get enough use to justify the
extra expense -- we've driven
the car only 18,000 miles in 
almost three years.

We do plan to buy it at the end
of the three-year lease, unless
there are bargains on 2019 Camrys
-- either way, we will continue to be
a two Toyota Camry family.
(both made in Kentucky, 
with more domestic content 
than many "American" cars ! )