How Much Are The Cars?

How much more complex are hybrid cars, comparing to conventional cars?

• Can you get hybrid cars with automatic transmission or stick shift? Do hybrid cars require more maintenance?

• Answer:

  From a user stand point, they aren't much different to drive. They are even quieter in some because in some of the hybrid vehicles they don't turn on the gasoline engine until you get up to speed. So for the driver, it doesn't really make a huge difference. From a mechanic's stand point, they are quite different. Depending on the hybrid, the technologies are different. The vehicles that run off Toyota's technology doesn't even really use a standard gasoline engine (the standard engine uses the Otto cycle), but the hybrids using a scavanging Atkin's cycle engine. They don't typically require more maintenance, but they do require a specialist to work on them. Some components can have extremely high voltagee running through them, so you need to know what you're doing.