Hybrid Cars

What is a Hybrid Car?

Hybrids are cars that run off a rechargeable battery and gasoline, rather

than just gasoline.

Hybrid batteries help to reduce fuel emissions because the hybrid engine

draws on the battery and not gasoline when accelerating. Hydrid gasoline

motors can shut off when the car is stopped and run off their electricity.

Why are Hybrid Cars a Good Idea?

* Hybrid cars are good for the environment. They can reduce smog by 90

percent and they use far less gasoline than conventional cars.

* Hybrid cars are economical. They can get up to 55 to 60 mpg in city

driving, while a typical SUV might travel 15-20 miles per gallon, or use

three times as much gas for the same distance!

* Hybrids are better than all-electric cars because hybrid car batteries

recharge as you drive so there is no need to plug in. Also, most electric

cars cannot go faster than 50-60 mph, while hybrids can. Most electric

cars need to be recharged every 50-100miles.

The Battery is charged in two ways:

Mostly by the gasoline

engine while you're driving and a little bit by something

called "regenerative braking," in which power is generated

by the turning wheels when the car slows down.

A computer decides which source of power to use - and it's

quite seamless (i.e., you never notice it switching back and

forth). There are different approaches to combining the two

motors. Toyota, for example, uses a system in which the car

is powered primarily by the electric motor in stop-and-go

traffic. At higher speeds or when you accelerate, the

gasoline engine automatically - and instantly - joins with

the battery powered motor, which gives it the juice to pass

or get on a highway.

Honda's Insight operates the other way around. At lower speeds and

around town, it uses the gasoline engine. When additional power is called

for, such as during acceleration or driving up a hill, the 13-horsepower

electric motor also comes on. Hybrids also shut off the gasoline motor

while you're stopped at a light, and then automatically starts back up when

you step on the gas to go again, saving even more gas.