Carbon Costs: Hybrids vs. Diesels
If you’re concerned about your car’s effect on the environment, you might have let your eye wander towards one of the new low-emissions hybrid cars. In recent years, hybrid cars have become increasingly popular and it’s fair to say that their prominence in the press and trade magazines has begun to overtake that of the diesel, but all this praise and attention could be undeserved. Although you can certainly get high fuel economy from a hybrid car, as any lover of diesels will know the same could be said for them.
There are plenty of diesel vehicles on the market, such as BMW cars or Audi TDIs, that can utilise the latest in biodiesel technology. This 100% renewable, ethically produced fuel ensures that any diesel car powered by it will produce cleaner emissions than any hybrid car and some can boast to cut CO2 emissions by as much as a quarter over their petrol models.
Your carbon emissions are not the only costs that can be cut by choosing a diesel over a hybrid. Makers of hybrids boast that you can recoup any additional purchase cost quickly through greatly reduced petrol bills, but you could find that a diesel is more economical in the long run. A light diesel can run for up to 400,000 miles as long as attention is paid to its maintenance, as it operates at lower RPM and runs at cooler temperatures.
Additionally, as they are still relatively new to the market, hybrid cars’ technology is in its infancy and as such you could find yourself paying out tens of thousands for a car that is obsolete in a few years. Not only will it be hit by natural depreciation of value, but on top of this you may have to contend with a difficulty in finding parts as the car’s technology matures. Diesel cars are at their peak, with the technology reaching a period of refinement that means that a car you buy today will be easily repairable and modifiable for years to come. Locating spare parts might not be your immediate concern when buying a new vehicle, but when you consider the strain that the constant starting and stopping of the engine in a hybrid car has on its components you might start to think differently.
On top of all of this, it’s almost unnecessary to mention that hybrid cars gain their trussed up technology at the cost of their appearance. A diesel is likely to have had more attention paid to its appearance, so not only will you be buying green, but you’ll leave other eco-car drivers turn green with your beautiful diesel.
