I refer to the letter "The hype of the hybrid cars" .

As an individual involved in technology policy, I am shocked that an individual trained as an engineer has such a short sighted view of hybrid vehicle technology. Perhaps, it is a reflection of the descending level of education and knowledge of our engineers.

Primarily, there is an extreme misconception on how hybrid technology works. The petrol and electric motor acts in concert with each other during acceleration, because electric motors provide maximum turning force (torque) from standstill, whereas an internal combustion engine is highly inefficient at this phase.

If the suggestion of the writer is correct, it will mean that if the battery pack is excluded from the design, it would make the car as sluggish as a milk float and practically unusable. When cruising, the electric motor shuts off, utilizing the engine to maintain a steady speed and during braking, energy is regenerated to recharge the batteries that power the electric motor.

Hybrids show their effectiveness around the city. My wife lives in KLCC and works in Sunway, but according to the trip computer, the average speed over the last year has never exceeded 40km/h. Usage of a hybrid vehicle would have cut emissions significantly. It is likely that all commuters would experience this as we all use the same roads, at the same time.

A more serious error in the letter indicates that a hybrid car is much heavier than "a proton persona" by about 500kg. Although this is partly true due to the battery pack, the author has totally ignored the increase in weight due to other factors.

In order to obtain good ratings from independent crash testing bodies, such as the European New Car Assessment Programme or EURO NCAP and the NHTSA (National Highway and Trafic Safety Administration, USA), additional body strengthening and active safety systems are added.

A person crashing in a Proton Waja (which shares the similar body structure as the proton persona) at the same speed, into the same concrete barrier as a Toyota hybrid would be three times more at risk of sustaining a serious or fatal injury than the driver of the hybrid car.

Of course there are shortcomings in any technology, but governments and industry would be wise to converge their technologies into a brighter, safer and greener future.