Hybrid Cars And City Living

There are a variety of reasons why you might want a hybrid car. You might want a hybrid car in order to cut your ever raising petrol bill; in order to lessen your personal impact on the environment or you might merely want the kudos of driving a car that is at the forefront of technology. Obviously, it could be for a combination of all three reasons as well.

Hybrid cars have been around for about ten years and so the technology is fairly well advanced. The thing to keep in mind is that hybrids are not performance cars in the conventional sense of the word. In the context of cars, the word 'performance' usually means 'high speed', but hybrid cars are performance cars because they save more than eight percent on the fuel bill.

They make this saving by in essence using two engines. The one engine is a traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) and the other is an electric motor. Both engines distribute their power through the same mechanical means to the wheels. The ICE generates electricity and delivers it to a battery, like any car does, however, a hybrid car can use this battery power to drive the car too.

The electricity is generated by alternators and the braking system. Regenerative braking supplies a substantial amount of power to the batteries. In fact, so much so that under normal driving conditions, the batteries do not have to be charged from the national grid.

The 'early' hybrids used the electric motor merely as an 'assist'. In other words, whilst the petrol engine would normally require to get revved up to produce enough power to overtake or go up hill, the electric motor would kick in to assist it, thereby saving fuel, but the petrol engine is effectively running all the time. how to sell stock. Where to Get Cheap Web Hosting . This a kind of halfway hybrid. The Honda Insight was one of these.

However, a full hybrid will use one or the other or both of the engines, depending on how its computer best reads the power needs of the driving conditions. The driver has no decisions to make, engines are turned on and off automatically and seamlessly by the car's on board computer. Examples of this type of full hybrid are the Toyota Prius and the Ford Escape Hybrid.

Although most individuals think of hybrids as new technology, the first hybrid car was made over a hundred years ago. Modern hybrids are around ten years old and the technology is improving rapidly. However, what actually has to happen now for hybrids to make a real impact on the amount of oil that the West consumes is for the prices to come down.

And I mean actually come down a great deal. Hybrid cars are far too costly for the average driver. If manufacturers reduced the cost of the cars, more individuals would buy one which would stimulate the economy and aid the balance of payments deficit to say nothing of the impact of burning less fossil fuel would have on the environment.

If you are interested in the technology of Hybrid Cars And City Living, please visit our website on New Hybrid Vehicles.