We’ve recently driven the all-new Toyota Corolla Altis in hybrid form, and based on our experience, these six myths about hybrid vehicles, and not just ones from Toyota in general, completely apply based on our daily experience with it. Globally, Toyota’s hybrid cars have established themselves as reliable choices for amazing fuel economy, but that’s not yet the case here in the Philippines. The main barrier for its mainstream adoption in our country are these six common myths, we are simply untrue.
MYTH #1: Electric Vehicles and Hybrid Electric Vehicles are basically the same
THE TRUTH: Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) operate on only one power source (electric motor) while the Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), as the name “Hybrid” suggests, runs on a combination of a petrol engine and an electric motor.
They’re similar in that they both have electricity as a power source but different because Hybrids vehicles also have a second power source–the gasoline engine.
MYTH # 2: Hybrid Vehicles Need to Be Charged Before Use
THE TRUTH: Hybrid vehicles do not need to be plugged in to be charged. They are self-charging through the motion and braking of the car. This is called “regenerative braking” and is what makes Hybrids unique and extra convenient as electrified vehicles! This makes the ideal for the Philippines since there’s no need for added infrastructure like charging stations.
MYTH # 3: Hybrid Vehicles are difficult to maintain.
THE TRUTH: Similar to a regular car, Hybrids just need to be brought to your local Toyota dealer for its preventive maintenance service (PMS). While usage circumstances still play a key role, Hybrid batteries don’t need any special maintenance on top of PMS.
Did you know that for added piece-of-mind, Toyota provides a 5-year warranty on the hybrid battery alongside the standard 3-year warranty on the vehicle itself? But don’t think that after 5 years you’re going to need to replace the battery, as Toyota’s Hybrid batteries are designed to last the lifetime of the car with proper care and maintenance.
MYTH # 4: Driving Hybrids in a flood will cause you to get electrocuted
THE TRUTH: No, you definitely won’t get electrocuted! The power shuts off once in contact with water. It’s no different in terms of safety from a conventional vehicle since both hybrids and conventional vehicles have their engines at similar heights from the ground. Don’t believe it yet? Check out this video to see how Toyota simulated flood situations with a Hybrid to prove its safety.
MYTH #5: Hybrids are expensive.
THE TRUTH: Hybrids are a lot more affordable now and are priced competitively to their conventional gas counterparts. And since Hybrids are very fuel-efficient, you’ll also save a lot on gas expenses in the long run.
Toyota has many Hybrids now for you to choose from, from the Toyota Prius to hybrid variants of the Toyota Corolla Altis sedan and of the Toyota Corolla Cross, which basically share the same Toyota Hybrid System as the Prius.
MYTH #6: Hybrids are hard to drive
THE TRUTH: If you know how to drive a conventional vehicle, then you know how to drive a hybrid! Hybrids actually have the smallest learning curve among electrified vehicles! You just need to gas them up like your conventional car, just not as often anymore! The hybrid system is very intelligent and automatically switches between EV and gas mode to give you the most out of your fuel!
If fuel economy is your main concern, then the Toyota Corolla Altis hybrid outstandingly achieved more than 22 km/l in mixed city and highway driving. Not only that, but the Toyota Corolla Altis hybrid and Corolla Cross hybrid come with Toyota Safety Sense, which is a suite of advanced driver-assist features such as automatic emergency braking, full-speed radar cruise control, lane departure warning, and a more intelligent version of lane keeping assist called Lane Tracing Assist. It keeps the car right smack in the middle of the lane without the car bouncing from one side to another, making highway drives even more relaxing.
Without the need to charge up at home, owning a hybrid vehicle has basically no learning curve. It’s the perfect vehicle for those who want a vehicle that looks forward into the future whilst delivering outstanding great fuel economy unheard of in any combustion engine vehicle.
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