What’s a Hybrid Car?

Is there any end to the high gas prices? Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that there will never be two dollars a gallon again. I have a picture of my grandfather having a price war on the other side of the street. They were selling gas $.14 a gallon, and he was selling it for $.10 a gallon. Boy were those the good old days and before my time.

The higher the gas price goes, the more people are asking for better fuel efficiency in their cars. Pick up any car magazine or news and you’ll see that the latest buzzword is hybrid car. These new hybrids come in all shapes and sizes, and in the latest styles with all the comforts of a standard car. This type of car will get better gas mileage than a standard vehicle but before you run out to buy one you should learn a little more about them.

Unlike a standard car, these new hybrids not only use a gasoline engine, but have added electrical system for propulsion. The new electrical propulsion system is recharged on board, an ongoing process. This makes the car more efficient than just a standard gasoline engine.

Unlike the old-fashioned electrical cars you no longer have to run an extension cord from your home to recharge the batteries in your hybrid car. The batteries are recharged through the kinetic energy generated by the way of regenerative braking. Some of the hybrid cars use the gasoline engine to spin a generator, which powers electrical motor. This electrical motor is what actually propels the car.

Because the hybrid car can generate its own power to recharge the batteries there’s no need to wait, this difference from a total electrical car which requires the batteries to be charged nightly. This allows you to use the car at any time without having to wait for the charge to complete. The development of the hybrid car being on the scene now out does the total electric car.

Hybrid cars are being referred to as car of the century with its fuel efficiency, and being able to power itself and save money at the pump. The big auto companies are betting on the fuel efficiency and cost of these new hybrids being a big hit with consumers.

If you are tired of pulling over at the pump and paying them an arm and a leg, it may be time to start looking at a hybrid. You’ll be the talk of the town with your slick new energy-efficient driving machine. In fact, unless you tell someone that you’re driving a hybrid, they will probably not even know.