In certain circles, hybrid cars are cool. But among most car enthusiasts and auto mechanics, saving the planet takes a backseat to speed, torque and good, old-fashioned muscle. Al Rivera wants to change all that as he opens
H3 Hybrids this week. The garage at 1221 Frankford Ave. in Northern Liberties will be the first non-dealer hybrid garage in Philadelphia and will carry a small inventory of used hybrids. With a background in engineering, Rivera says he began researching the technology when his wife bought a hybrid and became fascinated. He says the cars for sale will display innovations in hybrid technology that you won't find at your local Toyota dealer.
"I only have space for about five cars on the lot so I am going to have one or two conventional ones," says Rivera. "But I'd like to showcase a car with a 100-mile-per-gallon conversion, with a plug that plugs into your house with any extension cord."
The space was run as a garage and forklift repair shop with few customers in the past, so Rivera had the neighborhood on his side and, now that he has passed the Zoning Board, he hopes to show his friends and neighbors that hybrids can be just as appealing to motorheads as tree-huggers.
"If you are stuck on the Schuylkill or in city traffic for two hours, you are only getting two to three miles per gallon," says Rivera. "But with a hybrid, we can get you 40-50 miles per gallon, no matter what the traffic looks like. And when you are driving in a city, a gas motor is very inefficient."
Source: Al Rivera, H3 Hybrids
Writer: John Steele