The future of electric transportation is being built with a gas tank, at least for now.
U.S. sales of fully electric vehicles have started to plateau after growing rapidly in the past five years. But sales of hybrid vehicles, which have both a battery and an internal-combustion engine, have outstripped battery-powered models and are on track to keep growing, according to recent industry and government statistics.
Consumers and carmakers alike are comfortable with hybrids because the technology has been around for 25 years, they’re cheaper than comparable electric vehicles and buyers don’t have to worry about charging or range limitations.
From a climate standpoint, hybrids are an improvement over most internal-combustion vehicles because they have significantly better fuel economy even as they burn gasoline or diesel.
