Global climate change is becoming an increasingly relevant topic and the reality of the problem is becoming more and more evident. Support is growing to combat these effects, and one way is to drive environmentally friendly vehicles such as the Toyota Prius or other hybrid cars. However, after research, some questions arise about how environmentally friendly these products are. One will explore the environmental effects of hybrid and fully electric vehicles. There will also be economic impacts and social factors that will be addressed that directly affect the production and consumption of these vehicles. First of all, you need to be aware of the different terms used when discussing the subject. Conventional vehicles are simply vehicles equipped with an internal combustion engine, or ICE, that powers the vehicle with gasoline or diesel. Standard gasoline-electric hybrids use both conventional power and batteries that store energy from regenerative braking or the engine (Nice and Layton). There are also plug-in hybrids which use 100% electric power before switching to conventional power, therefore using gasoline (Plug in hybrid). And stop-start or micro-hybrids in which the gasoline engine turns off only when the car is idling (Gerbis). The history of hybrid and electric cars dates back well before awareness of climate change and the environmental movement. The first experimental light electric vehicles appeared in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands in the mid-1830s. Later, Thomas Edison joined forces, as he saw great opportunities for electric cars. It has made considerable efforts to develop more efficient batteries. He developed the nickel-iron battery which could store 40% more energy per unit weight than lead-acid batteries (Høyer). The...... middle of paper...... " CarsDirect. March 6, 2013. April 07, 2014 .Roos, Dave. "Do hybrid car production wastes offset hybrid benefits?" HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks .com, December 6, 2010. Web. April 29, 2014. SANTINI, D. (2004). Transportation Fuel Alternatives for On-Road Vehicles. 3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Festenergy%2Ftransportation_fuel_alternatives_for_highway_vehicles%2F0Hybrid Car Preference Survey, SJU/CSB, Collegeville.TIAX, LLC, FULL CYCLE EVALUATION TANK ENERGY CONSUMPTION (n.d.): n. Web page. “Personal maintenance.”.". 2014.