This week, we are looking into the advantages and disadvantages of a “hybrid version” car as well as it’s basic maintenance needed.
What exactly is a hybrid car? 
The Hybrid cars genre can be seen as the solution to the increasing problem of fuel consumption in cars. Therefore the auto industry stepped up it’s technology to create hybrid cars. A hybrid vehicle runs on two or more power sources, it could be nuclear-electric, diesel-electric, fuel-electric, gas-electric etc, these are the commonly used types and they are usually called ‘HEVs’ (hybrid electric vehicles) they do not only improve fuel economy but also increase power or additional auxiliary power for electronic devices and power tools.
Why buy a hybrid vehicle? Or why two engines instead of one?
The reason for two motors is in the strength and weakness of both. The electric engines turn-off when idle and do not use as much as gas motors at high speed. Also they do not produce any exhaust thus reducing smog level. Another advantage of a hybrid depending on its type is that it charges itself while running.
In addition, the fuel efficiency comes from improvements in aero dynamics, weight reduction and, the biggest change: a smaller, less powerful gas engine. In fact, any car will get substantially better mileage just by reducing the engine size. The main reason this is not done has to do with customer demand – they want the extra power and torque. Furthermore the hybrid car is ‘Eco’ friendly thus the small increase in fuel economy makes a large difference in emissions. In large cities where pollution is at it’s worst, they make a distinctive difference since they produce very minimal emission.
With all the technology and dual engine, the hybrid cars are more complex and expensive due to the ancillary systems to manage them and their heavy batteries. These systems must work together in conjunction with the computers that control them. Although they are more capable but still suffer failures, therefore a hybrid car owner would buy at an expensive price and also would be ready for higher repair costs.
The hybrid cars could be a major relief to Nigerian car owners because of it’s fuel economy. Additionally, the environment would benefit greatly from zero or no pollution.
Maintenance – wise, the hybrid does not need any special kind of maintenance. Owners should ensure they use OEM parts, regular oil(right specifications) change, avoid flooded areas and bad roads. Also, watch out for the batteries. Regularly, clean corroded terminals.
Finally, taking notes of the above will guarantee a long lasting hybrid system.
Contributions from hybrid car owners or your experiences will be very much welcomed in the comments section. Thank you for reading.

Written by Adeniyi Balogun