For those of us who want to lessen our impact on the environment the issue of transportation can be a tricky one. If you live in a city that’s bicycle and pedestrian friendly, or has a good public transport system it’s easy to transition to these alternative forms of transportation. But the further you live from your place of work, or if you have to travel a lot as part of your work or you simply live in a city that doesn’t make it easy or safe to use these alternative forms of transportation, another possible solution could be to buy hybrid vehicles.

What exactly is a hybrid car?

Primarily, a gasoline-electric hybrid car is a combination of an electric car and a gasoline-run vehicle. To make things clearer, it is first necessary to distinguish the characteristics of those two kinds.

A gas-powered vehicle is equipped with fuel tanks, which gives gasoline to the engine. The engine operates the transmission, and the transmission operates the wheels.

Meanwhile, an electric car is equipped with a set of batteries which gives electric power to a motor. The motor then operates the transmission and the wheels.

Now the hybrid car is a mix of the two. The reputation of hybrids is that they add to the car’s mileage with fewer emissions usually coming from cars run by gasoline, while eliminating more or less the disadvantages that comes with electric cars.

Motorists usually take three considerations in mind when judging the usability of a vehicle. These are:

• It should run at three-hundred miles at least between fuel stops.
• Should be easily refueled, in the minimum amount of time.
• It should catch up with the other vehicles zooming on the road.

The thing is, a gasoline-powered car has all these features, but it produces lots of emission plus the mileage is poor. On the other hand, an electric car gives off almost zero pollution, but the speed is relatively slow, and can only run 50-100 miles between battery charges.

What are the parts of hybrid cars?

1. Gasoline engine: Compared to the engine of other cars, hybrids use smaller ones and is more technically advanced in order to maximize fuel and lessen emissions.
2. Fuel tank: This serves as the device for hybrids to store energy for the gasoline engine.
3. Electric motor: The motor present in hybrids is a study in sophistication. It can serve as both generator and motor.
4. Generator: Much like an electric motor, but its only purpose is to provide electrical power.
5. Batteries: Acts as the storage device of energy for electric motors. The advantage of hybrid car motors is that they can charge the batteries with energy as well as get energy supply from them.
6. Transmission: Acts the same as conventional car transmissions.

There are two ways in combining the energy sources found in hybrid cars. The first one is the parallel hybrid, which is equipped with a fuel tank that provides gasoline to an engine, and a battery set that supplied energy to the electric motor.

The second one is the series hybrid. In contrast, the generator is powered by the gasoline engine, and the generator is capable of either energizing the batteries or provide power to the electric motor that starts up the transmission.

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The hybrid car, so much has been said about it. Not until now has there been a complete shift and focus on the hybrid’s emergence. With gas prices at an all time high, the economic pressure to save dollars is now forcing Americans to look at alternative money saving measures.

More and more people are opting for carpooling and the use of the public transportation system rather than driving their personal vehicles to and from work. Families are consolidating trips for everyday household errands and are even delaying or canceling family vacations. These changes have come about because of the price of gasoline in America.

Others are even trying alternative methods of fuel combustion, like the Water4Gas craze. Anything to squeeze a few more miles out of their beloved automobiles in an effort to save money on high fuel costs.

The problem is, Americans do not “like” being forced to change their driving habits. The majority of Americans realize that the reliance on foreign oil is not a good thing and that America needs to find a way to produce its own sustainable fuel source. And then there are the concerns about the burning of fossil fuels and the damage it’s causing to the earth’s eco system. Price and pollution, what is the answer? Could it be the hybrid car?

Hybrid cars, such as Toyota’s Prius and Honda’s Insight, rely on both gasoline power and electric power. The electric portion of the powerplant is driven by very large batteries that are recharged as the car is driven. The result is less dependence on fuel with better gas mileage. Honda’s Insight is reported to average 60 miles per gallon city with fewer emissions. The difference is simple – while driving in the city the electric motor is doing most of the work, thus using less gasoline. Highway driving needs more power and is where the gasoline engine does its work.

The hybrid does have its share of drawbacks. What new technology doesn’t? They are smaller vehicles made up of lighter-weight materials and parts. And you will sacrifice horsepower for fuel economy (forget about towing a boat or trailer with a hybrid, at least for now). Additionally, the hybrid market is in its infancy. In 2008, the hybrid market was estimated to make up about 2% of the total automobile market. This is because many automakers have been slow to enter the hybrid market.

And there are those that believe the hybrid car is not as effective a technology solution to alternative fuel, such as ethanol, made from corn, switch grass, or even hydrogen and saltwater.

Where will the power that fuels America’s vehicles come from? Nobody seems to know right now. We do know this: Steam power was replaced by electric power, and electric power was replaced by gasoline power. Gasoline power will eventually be replaced with something, hopefully before it’s too late to change its effect on global warming. While hybrid cars represent an “alternative” or a means to find a replacement, they do represent a viable solution.

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