Are there any disadvantages of ecofriendly cars?

Over the last few years ecofriendly cars have become very popular and people talk about their advantages all the time. What is talked about far less are the disadvantages. It raises the question of whether or not there are any disadvantages to driving an ecofriendly car.

The biggest disadvantage of ecofriendly cars, particularly hybrisds is that they are not great on the highways. They are fine for driving around town but since they tend to have less power and slower acceleration they are not so great for driving on highways. The lack of power also means that they are not as sporty or fun to drive as some other cars can be. This is starting to change as the technology is improving and the manufacturers are starting to realize that consumers want sporty cars but for now it is an issue.

Another issue that hybrids have, and will also be an issue for other cars with alternative power plants like fuel cells and electric cars, is that they are more expensive to maintain. The reason is that they are more complicated than internal combustion engines and mechanics have less experience with them. In addition the parts that you will need to make repairs are more expensive because they are not produced in the same kind of volumes as they are for regular cars. The result is that you may have to find a specialist shop and pay extra when you want maintenance work. This is something that should change as more of these cars start to appear on the road but that will be years away.

If you live in a cold climate you will find that the benefits of owning a hybrid, or an electric car are less. This is mainly because the batteries don't work as well when it is cold out as they do in warmer climates. The result is that the car will not perform as well and the fuel savings will be less if you live in a place where it gets cold during the winter. This doesn't necessarily mean that a hybrid is a bad idea if you live in colder climate but it is something to consider.

One disadvantage of hybrid, at least in some people's minds is that they may not be as safe as other cars. This is somewhat controversial and probably not true of all hybrids but there does seem to be a bit of a safety issue with them. The problem is that the battery puts more weight towards the front of the car which changes the center of gravity and makes the steering and braking less effective. This is a bigger problem in cars that were designed to run on regular internal combustion engines and then adapted to be hybrids than it is for cars that were designed to be hybrids from the start.