I'm probably stopped every other day and asked if the Eco Hybrid label on the side of the 2014 Kia Optima means it's electric and if I have to hit up charging stations in order to drive. Electric vehicles although becoming more popular, are still considered a novelty it seems while Hybrids are mainstream. Perhaps you are wondering the difference between the two, too.
An electric car is solely electric meaning no gas but a hybrid or Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), is basically a combination of both, a gasoline engine and an electric motor. Both are used to power the vehicle.
The electric motor in the 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid is as quiet as a church mouse so much so that I when I first put heels to the wheels, I questioned whether I had mistakenly not turned it on which to do so, only requires the press of a button. The hybrid is less that typical gasoline engine "rev." Some question the power and performance of a Hybrid because you don't get that "rev" aka boost with an electric motor. But I can deal with being less the "rev" for the sake of saving gas. I don't have to be a "speed demon" ...All the time.
Upon first putting heels to the wheels in the 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid, I went 10 days before having to fill up. 10 days! And with hybrids being mainstream, that translates to savings for the consumer. Hybrid models are consistently dropping in sticker price. But most automotive brands can manipulate the gas/electric combo so you can get better fuel, more power or increased charge for your mobile devices or all of the above.
The 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid offers a culmination of all of that and more including auto start/shutoff which means the engine automatically shuts off when I come to a stop and starts back up when I push the pedal. So that idle time when waiting at a light or sitting in traffic when gas is most wasted, is saved in the 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid. And there are more advanced technologies too but I will spare you the technicalities. Unlike electric vehicles, hybrids still require gasoline to operate but the hybrid technology reduces consumption and the output resulting from the electric motor reduces output of fumes which is why hybrids are considered more environmentally (eco) friendly. And because a hybrid still requires gas, you don't have the same limitations as an electric vehicle.
If considering, do your homework on the Hybrid technology and what you want most out of it. If you have a "need for speed" particularly. Click here for Kelley Blue Books review of 10 hybrids under 30k.
Would you choose savings aka "money in your pocket" or power aka "that rev"?
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