Hybrid cars- stupid trend or real alternative?

Hybrid cars- stupid trend or real alternative?

Motor vehicles are a core technology of our modern life and economy. Unfortunately, they pollute our air, soil and water, depend on oil supplies and are to some extend responsible for global warming.
In response, some car companies have introduced a range of Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) to reduce emissions and fuel use. The world's biggest car manufacturer Toyota introduced the first HEV for the common man, the Toyota Prius, in 1997/98. After 16 years on the market the HEV car has conquered almost 2 percent of the US market. If the recent development continues the HEV car will replace the conventional engine in about 40 to 50 years. At first this might seem remarkable but this rise has a number of reasons and only a few of them are actually thanks to the hybrid car itself.

Manufacturers like Toyota boast with their superior technology, the better fuel consumption and less pollution of HEV cars. Hybrid opponents however, claim that the figures are unrealistic and could never be achieved in real situations. There are in fact, about as many studies proving the superiority of HEVs in terms of pollution and fuel economy as there are studies displaying the opposite.

The reasons for buying a HEV can be separated into two types:

• Economy related 

• Image related (Semiotics)

This post is focused on one aspect of the first type -> fuel economy.

The most important argument for an HEV is fuel economy. By assisting the petrol engine with an electric one, fuel consumption can be reduced to up to 40%. When the Prius was introduced, in 1997, this was true, but in recent years there have been quite a few remarkable diesel engines that could match the reduction of HEV cars.
Additionally, a "normal" driver (someone who doesn't look at the revolution counter) will always ruin an HEV's fuel consumption, because they would use the petrol engine 80% of the time. I think current HEV cars excel at only one thing: commuting (in cities). No petrol or diesel powered car can match a Hybrid on a congested road. Slowly advancing at around 10 to 20 mph will allow the HEV to use its electric motor efficiently.