Quote:
Originally Posted by Ocikat
Chevys Volt is not a hybrid, it's gasoline motor powers a generator which in turn provides energy to the electric motor to drive the vehichle and recharges the battery.
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Even if the Volt always only ever used electricity to power the wheels (it doesn't), it doesn't change the fact that the car would still be a hybrid. An awesome hybrid that is better than a EV, but a hybrid none the less. A gas engine and an electric motor, working in any combination to propel the vehicle is a hybrid drivetrain. Doesn't matter which one it primarily uses. In fact, it doesn't have to be limited to a combination gasoline (or any form of internal combustion) and electric power to be called a hybrid. There are hydraulic hybrids (increasingly popular for garbage and delivery trucks), and I suppose if hydraulics work as a hybrid so too could pneumatics.
And while we're pushing the fringes of possible hybrids, you could (in theory) use springs or elastics to store power in conjunction with an internal combustion (or steam) engine. And if neither of those combos work, you could also use them with electric (or hydraulic or pneumatic) motor. Of course, very few pairings are of much benefit (or even logic), but still ... a steam+spring combination would, technically, be a hybrid. And if thats a hybrid, then surely an electric+gas vehicle like the Volt would be too.
To the OP ... remember that cost of ownership isn't just monthly payments + gasoline. You should also consider which one will have the higher residual value, maintenance costs, insurance cost, and how the price of gasoline is going to change over the next several years. Since most of those figures are going to be guesses (particularly if you plan on owning it for 10 years) just go with the one you like better.