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Is the Death of the Hybrid Nigh?

April 11, 2013 by Andrew Greene

Hybrid-Killer?

Watch out hybrids for two things wicked your way comes. On the bottom end, hybrids are increasingly threatened by gas-driven cars that just keep on growing more and more fuel efficient; while from the top, the anything-but-humble hybrid is being pressed by purely-electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Model S.

An honest-eyed car buyer of today can be excused for wondering whether or not there is a need for a hybrid anymore. After all, many gas-fed models rate 40 plus miles per gallon on the highway, which equals and in some cases betters the mpg ratings for a good number of costlier hybrids. Then, there is no denying that electric car technology continues to improve at a shockingly rapid pace. This improvement has led to the Tesla Model S, which gets about 300 miles on a single charge and has acceleration and top speeds that can make many a hybrid or traditional car weep, zero to 60 in 4.4 seconds and top speed of 130 mph. And if that sounds, impressive, the new Detroit Electric SP:01 tops 155 mph and hits 6o mph in 3.7 seconds!

Editors Note: I have to say I wondered the same thing not too long ago, when I put close to 1000 miles on a Toyota Corolla rental car, achieving right around 40 mpg. Mostly interstate miles, but still. That said, automakers keep channeling money into hybrid halo cars, such as Ferrari’s new hybrid.

[Image: The Auto Channel]

Tags: EV, Hybrids, Tesla

Now playing the role of grumpy old man in the foothills of Northern California’s Gold Country, Andrew has had a life-long love affair with vehicles of all sorts, from the bicycle he pedaled across the continent in 1991 to the armored personnel carriers he drove in the Army to the bamboo rafts, elephants, motorcycle taxis, ferries and buses he traveled by during the 13 years he lived and worked in South East Asia. Always eager to learn more about how the people of the world get from here to there in their day-today lives, he, a professional journalist, has been covering the vehicle industry for years.