Vrrrrm, the warm buzz of a pure gasoline-powered engine gently vibrates your body every time you drive. The gasoline flowing through your car helps you feel the power under the foot. Your friend, however, doesn’t know a life without the smooth ride and soothing hum of his electric car. Since their recent growth, electric cars have been becoming popular in the vehicle industry, but are they really better than gasoline cars? 

As of 2022, the amount of electric cars sold in the United States was 14%, and that number is rising exponentially, with electric cars being 18% of all cars sold in 2023, a 4% increase, and a 16% increase from the 2% in 2018. This comes as no surprise, as the cleaner emissions and supposedly cheaper long-term pricing beckons to many, but are they really as good as they claim? According to Kelly Blue Book, it costs $36.60 to fill the average 12-gallon tank, a cost of $3.05 per gallon. For an electric car, using the Tesla Model Y as a standard, it can cost anywhere from $14 to $46 for charging. This is because of the variety of charger options available, as well as the large variation in charging prices depending on if you charge at home or at public chargers. To sum it up, electric cars can be far cheaper should you charge at home, but when you need to charge at a public station, the prices are more inflated. As for emissions, there is no doubt that electric cars are far cleaner when it comes to fuel, but the lithium used to manufacture the batteries inside the cars emits many pollutants during the mining process, limiting the environmental benefits these vehicles claim. According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, fifteen tons of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere for every one ton of lithium mined. All this being said, an electric car may overall be a more cost effective option, but it isn't as environmentally friendly as it's marketed to be due to the large impact that lithium mining has on the ozone layer. However, there is a solution: a car that utilizes the best functions of each type to create the best of both worlds, the hybrid.

            Hybrid cars combine the strength of the gasoline engine with the environmental benefits of the electric engine to make for an incredibly efficient automobile. In the majority of hybrid options, the car relies completely on the electric power when it is at lower speeds, and works with the gasoline to boost the power at higher speeds. These vehicles are often recharged through regenerative braking, a system that circulates power to the battery when you brake, which limits the need to charge and reduces costs, as the average hybrid battery needs to be replaced after 15 years (KieferKia).  However, many newer models are using plug-in options similar to a traditional electric car, which increase costs but also enhance the power and amount of use the battery can provide and withstand. One of the major selling points is the high MPG, or miles-per-gallon rate that these cars have, making it so the driver needs to fill their tank far less frequently than a normal car and therefore save more money.  Because of this, 11% of currently registered cars are hybrids, and this number is continuously increasing because of the high power and efficiency these vehicles promise (Edmunds). 

            In summary, the debate between electric and gas cars is one that will continuously be fought because each choice promises something opposite of the other. However, instead of feeling strictly those rough vibrations or that smooth hum, getting a hybrid gives you the best of both worlds through its increased efficiency, environmental benefits, and cheaper fuel.

Information retrieved from Greencars.com, Kelly Blue Book, Car And Driver, International Energy Agency, KieferKia.com, Edmunds.com, and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Climate Portal.