Most Hybrids Today Are Gasoline and Electric

Hybrid Car Technology

Hybrid Automobiles-hybrid simply means that the car is capable of running off of two different fuel sources.

Most hybrids today are gasoline and electric.

Benefit the Environment

Hybrid cars are great for the environment as they use less gas and decrease smog up to 90 percent.

Features

Hybrid cars have many great features, such as getting 50 to 60 miles per gallon of gas. You don't have to plug a hybrid car in because it recharges as you drive it. Hybrid cars have lower depreciation values, so they are very easy to resell.

Interesting Facts About Hybrid Cars

By Misty Barton, eHow Contributor

Misty Barton

Misty Barton has been working in the fields of composition and journalism for over 10 years. She has a Bachelor of Science in English education and a Master of Arts in English and composition. She has written for various online publications including a blog that specifically addresses the concerns of work-at-home mothers.

The battery component of the hybrid engine is charged when you use the car's brakes.

Commercialization

Though this technology was almost immediately applied to planes, trains and watercraft, it took nearly a century for it to reach the automobile market. The first hybrid car sold commercially did not hit the market until 1997, when Toyota began selling the Prius. Since the Prius began selling in the United States almost every major car manufacturer has followed suit and either released a hybrid car or released a prototype and expected production schedule for a new hybrid line.

Function

A hybrid engine uses both electricity and fuel injection in order to make the car more efficient. When a hybrid car is increasing its speed it uses the gas engine to power the car's acceleration; when the car is coasting, idling or stopped, it automatically switches to the battery for power. Some models also use battery power to run the car at low speeds, and to assist the gas engine when going uphill or passing. Each car design uses the hybridized power slightly differently. All hybrid cars are designed to lower the vehicle's fuel emissions and conserve valuable fuel.

Benefits

Hybrid cars emit up to 90 percent less toxic pollutants than their gas-only equivalents. As a result of the same efficiencies that make this reduction in waste possible, some hybrid cars get up to 50 to 60 miles per gallon, three times more than most gas-only cars in their class. Hybrid cars also emit significantly less engine noise than conventional cars. The power system is extremely low maintenance as well, in most cases recharging naturally as the car runs.

Incentives

Driving a standard SUV costs 10 cents a mile depending on the price of gas; a conventional car costs 8 cents per mile. A hybrid car, in contrast costs an average of 3 cents per mile. If the fuel savings are not incentive enough to buy the hybrid, both car makers and the United States government have been working to sweeten the deal. Since 2005, the United States government has offered a tax write-off that can be as much as $5,000. Also, to offset the expensive repair cost on hybrid cars, most manufacturers offer at least a five-year warranty, and many of the cars' individual parts come with lifetime warranties. Hybrid cars depreciate at a rate significantly lower than conventional cars, in part because the demand for used hybrids is extremely high.

The Electric Car

Nissan Leaf 100% Electric:

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An electric car is an alternative-design automobile that uses an electric motor to power the car, with the electricity being provided by a battery. While a conventional car does have a lead-acid battery as part of its standard equipment, this battery is for operating the starter and not powering the vehicle.

How Does an Electric Car Run?

Electric cars have a motor just like conventional, internal combustion engine cars. The difference is that the power supply is derived from battery-stored electricity rather than the mechanical power derived from burning gasoline. The batteries used in electric cars vary in design, and include the lead-acid type familiar to all conventional car owners (albeit, much larger than in a normal car), lithium ion (similar to those used in laptops and mobile phones, but once again much larger), molten salt, zinc-air, and various nickel-based designs.

The Problems with Batteries

The problems with electric cars all stem from the limits of existing battery design. Simply put, it requires a huge, expensive battery to even approach matching the power performance of an internal combustion engine. Only a few of even the highway-capable electric cars are capable of reaching even 70mph, and most designs were meant exclusively for use on city streets (40mph or less). Also, few battery designs can last for as long as even a small gasoline tank, and the recharging time is substantially longer than refilling a fuel tank