It seems the automotive companies are going greener now more than ever following the recent release of Tesla Model X and the plans to produce Model 3, and not forgetting Chevrolet’s announcement of Bolt hatchback production. Although there have been setbacks in the production and marketing of fully electric cars, the industry has a wide range of SUVs, crossovers and hybrid cars. The hybrid family further extends with Chrysler’s announcement of its plan to produce the Pacifica Hybrid. These half-electric, half-gas category of vehicles have been known to have high mileage. Additionally, the cost of operating and maintaining them is relatively low.

The primary demerit associated with fully electric cars is that they are relatively costly. For instance, the models present in the United States market cost between $23,800 to $80,000. For this reason, there has been a biased preference towards hybrid cars. One of the cheapest hybrids to operate is Toyota’s Prius Eco. The starting price for this Toyota model is about $24,700, a cost that is slightly more than Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV, the cheapest fully electric car. The range of Prius Eco in the city is 58 mpg while the range for the highway is 53 mpg. This implies that the average range is 56 mpg. The cost of running the Prius is about $500 on an annual basis, undercutting electric car cost by $100. Contrary to electric car owners, Prius owners and other hybrid car owners do not stress about looking for a place for charging their cars. This is because hybrid cars also have a gasoline engine in addition to electric motors.

The technology behind hybrid cars will continue advancing just like electric car technology. Electric cars are deemed to be fun and comfortable just like their gasoline-powered counterparts. It has been proven by Tesla’s P90D that has a torque of 713 lb-ft and a horsepower of 762. Electric cars will be available and affordable to the common man when the Chevrolet Bolt and Model 3 enter the market. The practicability of electric car ownership will increase with a close to $30,000 price tag and a range of 200 miles on a charge. Currently, Nissan Leaf is the market leader with a starting price of less than $30,000 and a range of 107 miles when fully charged. The range of a standard gasoline-fueled vehicle is approximately 300 miles. Hence, although electric cars are clearly the cars of the future, hybrids are currently leading the park in terms of sales.