With oil prices on the rise and more drivers becoming concerned with their carbon footprint, hybrid cars are seen by many as the car of the future. With an ability to conserve fuel and reduce carbon emissions, these cars are growing in popularity with both manufacturers and drivers.

Hybrid cars operate with both a traditional gasoline engine but also have electric motor and batteries. With these two systems working together, fuel consumption is reduced allowing some hybrids to travel more than 60 miles per gallon of gas.

Charging systems built into these vehicles capture capture and utilize the energy of the car to to charge the batteries inside the vehicle. This eliminates the need of charging through an electrical outlet at home or through a specialized charging station required with some electric vehicles.

The improved fuel efficiency and internal charging mechanisms makes owning this type of a vehicle a major advantage over traditional gas only vehicles or pure electric vehicles. However, many buyers must still face the reality of a much higher purchase price when considering a hybrid vehicle.

To offset the higher purchase price of hybrid vehicles, governments have started offering incentives such as free parking, free entry to car pool lanes and government sponsored rebates. Some have even offered reduced fees at toll gates.

It is hoped these savings and incentives when combined with increased fuel savings will help entice people to consider hybrid vehicles.

Despite the obvious advantages, there are several disadvantages associated with hybrids.

Hybrid vehicles typically have higher repair costs. This is generally associated with the integration of the charging system, electric engine and combustion engine. This integration typically increases the complexity of the vehicle and provides more opportunity for things to go wrong. When problems arise they tend to take longer to find and repair and the associated parts have been shown to cost more.

Additionally, like other rechargeable batteries, the ones in these vehicles also need to be periodically replaced. This usually occurs in the later years of owning the vehicle but could cost thousands of dollars, depending on the manufacturer.

Some hybrid vehicles have also been shown to have poor fuel economy and less power than traditional gas powered vehicles.

Hybrid vehicles tend to weigh more than traditional gas vehicles. The addition of batteries required for the electric motors, the electric motor components and associated systems add to the weight of the vehicle.

In some terrains and climates these vehicles tend to operate more on gas than on their more effecient electric motors. The increased weight lowers the fuel economy and actually results in drivers paying more to operate these vehicles than it would traditional gas vehicles.

As manufacturers continue to make improvements in hybrid technology and address both maintenance costs and fuel efficiency, hybrid cars will become more common. Manufacturers are using lighter components, more effecient charging systems and batteries with a longer life.