7 Best Alternative Fuel Vehicles

An alternative fuel vehicle is a motor vehicle that runs on alternative fuel, an energy other than traditional petroleum fuels (petrol or Diesel fuel); and also refers to any technology of powering an engine that does not involve solely petroleum (e.g. electric car, hybrid electric vehicles, solar powered).

Ethanol is the most widely available source of gasoline substitute, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Ethanol can also be made from landfill gases and municipal solid waste, as well as agricultural waste, animal manures, food wastes, fats, oils and greases.

• Chevrolet Impala. Few have heard of ethanol fuel although many drivers are likely to have seen it advertised at gas stations.
• Dodge Ram 1500 EcoDiesel.
• Honda FCX Clarity.
• Toyota Mirai.
• Tesla Roadster.
• Tesla Model S.
• Rimac Concept One.

You better not buy a hybrid vehicle because: Hybrid vehicles are (generally speaking) weak. Hybrid vehicles are more expensive upfront than regular combustion cars and more expensive long term than electric cars. Hybrid vehicles don’t solve any currently-existing problems.

If you compare a 10 year old usual gas car with a 10 year old hybrid car, the only thing you have to think about is the life span of the hybrid battery. These batteries can collapse, but ten year old IC engines and torque converter transmissions can also collapse.

Ministers confirmed in November 2020, that new petrol and diesel cars and vans would not be allowed to be sold in the UK from 2030. New hybrid cars and vans that could drive a “significant distance” with no carbon coming out of the tailpipe, however, would be allowed to remain on sale until 2035.

Hybrid cars are more expensive to insure than petrol or diesel cars because they cost more to repair.

While you can expect about the same amount of maintenance and repairs as a regular engine, hybrid engines may cost more to maintain due to their advanced technology. This is just one of the many things to think about when deciding whether a hybrid vehicle is right for you.

Hybrid cars are more common than pure electric cars, so insurance premiums for them are more competitive. Yet like fully electric cars, insurers recognise that the engine and parts are more expensive to repair than a conventional car after an accident, so the cost of insurance can be higher.

The main advantages of a hybrid are that it should consume less fuel and emit less CO2 than a comparable conventional petrol or diesel-engined vehicle. Hybrid car owners also get extra benefits in the shape of lower first year road tax and company car tax, as well as possibly avoiding congestion charges.

Hybrid cars, SUVs and trucks, including the plug-in hybrids that began appearing in the market in 2012, often can cost from several thousand dollars less to $13,000 more than gasoline-only versions of the same vehicles.

The best hybrid cars in 2021

• Toyota Corolla 1.8 VVT-i Hybrid.
• Toyota Corolla 1.8 VVT-i Hybrid.
• Volkswagen Passat GTE Estate.
• Volkswagen Passat GTE Estate.
• Ford Kuga PHEV.
• Ford Kuga PHEV.
• BMW 530e.
• BMW 530e.

Hybrid battery life Much like almost any other car part, or electrical part, hybrid batteries can fail at almost any given time. Some might last up to 70,000 miles while others can go the distance and power your car for up to 200,000 miles.

If that battery fails, then you could still drive the Prius, but it will be weaker and a lot less smooth. Other hybrid systems that require a 12-volt battery might not work if the hybrid battery dies. Even if your car does start, you run the risk of your car losing power or dying on the road.

Plug-in hybrids may drive for 10-50 miles using only electricity before they start using gasoline, and can then drive for about 300 miles (depending on the size of the fuel tank, just like any other car). Most electric vehicles are currently capable of about 100 miles of driving before they need to be recharged.