Hybrid Autos - Environmentally Aware |
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| Written by Jon Buttress | |
| Thursday, 17 July 2008 | |
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If you demand it, companies will come up with it. This has never been more apparent than with hybrid autos, the companies answer to a consumer nation that has become more environmentally aware. The day you knew hybrids were here to stay was the day car companies started announcing hybrid SUVs. Imagine, all the size and little of the guilt. That being said, there are some misconceptions about hybrids, so lets address the big two. Buy any old hybrid and you will get a major tax credit. This is the first myth that arises around the hybrid. Can you get a tax credit? Yes, but you must comply with certain requirments issues by none other than the Internal Revenue Service. If you want to claim a tax credit for buying a hybrid, you have to comply with a few regulations. First, you have to purchase a brand new hybrid. Second, the IRS must have ceritifed the car. Third, you can only claim the amount then available. Many people want to know the amount of the hybrid tax credit, but it is an impossible question to answer. The IRS sets a different amount for each and every car. It then has the option of reducing this amount each quarter of the year. The hybrid tax credit was designed to get people interested in hybrids. Given this fact, it should be no surprise the credit is phased out after a certain number of vehiles are sold. The beloved Prius, in fact, is about to lose its credit. Why does the tax credit phase out for hybrids? Well, you have to realize why it was put into law in the first place. It was intended to motivate people to buy such vehicles in light of our oil and environmental problems. It was not intended to be a windfall for manufacturers. The batteries used in hybrid vehicles give us our next area of controversy. These are not the run of the mill batteries found in your average automobile or truck. Rumor has it they don't last long and are incredibly expensive to repair. In truth, there is no requirement that hybrid batteries be changed every 40,000 miles or so. Most brands come with warranties of up to 100,000 miles. Although hybrids are fairly new, the batteries are reported to last well into the hundreds of thousands of miles. Hybrids represent definitive progress in kicking our oil addiction. That being said, they are not the cure all to it. When deciding whether to buy a hybrid, ignore the fluff, collect the facts and then do what you think is right.
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