I am a local reader of The Malibu Times and a Moorpark College student. I am writing this letter to express my opinion on the economic topic of diesel vehicles and hybrid vehicles, which is a constant public controversy. It is a topic that seems to generate a lot of debate when mentioned.
It seems like everyone thinks that the hybrid vehicles are a much more efficient and better automobile for the environment. In truth, the hybrid will actually cause more damage in the long run to the environment than the diesel run vehicle. Hybrids have huge battery cells, which have to be disposed of in our environment and slowly leak into our landfills. As for cost and efficiency, the hybrid vehicle is going to cost more to drive and double the amount paid in one year just on maintenance.
As for the diesel vehicles, everyone seems to believe they are polluting our air and environment. Why would something that supposedly pollutes our air and environment not need to pass the smog test? The reason for that would be because it actually runs cleaner then even our gas vehicles. As for being efficient, diesel vehicles can get up to 50-plus miles to the gallon while the hybrid gets only 35 miles, tops, to the gallon. With only half a tank, I can drive a diesel from Thousand Oaks to Oceanside and back! The diesels are also easier when it comes to maintenance and have less toxic things to dispose of, such as the battery cells the hybrids have.
You can see in this short letter how different these two vehicles are and also how the news media are feeding the wrong information. The news people are constantly trying to sell hybrids as the better car for the environment, downgrading the diesel and trying to make it look like a machine that kills our environment when it is the complete opposite.
Helene Schubert