Hybrid Car Mythbusting

QUESTION:
Dear Umbra,

Could you help me clear up a rumor about cars? I've heard that although hybrids reduce your carbon footprint because they use less gas, the process for mining the nickel in the hybrid batteries produces far more pollution than the process for regular car batteries. So are we really making a difference by buying hybrids? I personally decided to get a more fuel-efficient car and bought a used Honda Fit, which I love. Did I make the right choice?

Kimberly W.
Raleigh, N.Y.

ANSWER:
Dearest Kimberly,

As long as you're buying a fuel-efficient, low-emissions vehicle, you're doing the right thing. That philosophy is broad enough to accommodate all our pocketbooks and typical passenger loads and yet narrow enough to give us some motivational guilt. Of course, small hybrids are the most fuel-efficient vehicles. But sometimes we just don't buy them -- they aren't the right fit (sorry, couldn't resist).

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More on hybrid cars at the Huffington Post Cars big news page

Read the whole story here.