Hybrid

Dismissing the Myths of Hybrid Cars

New technology is prone to being a source of confusion simply because few people know all the facts, understand the technology, and get caught up in exaggerated stories generated by peoples' natural impulsive tendency to allow fantasies to fill in the blanks. Following are four common myths surrounding hybrid cars. We'll see which ones are fact, and which ones are fiction...

So what is a hybrid car, anyways?

All hybrid cars share at least three common factors. In fact, all three capabilities must be present in order for the vehicle to be classified as hybrid. These three steps include:

1. Regenerative braking
2. Idle-off capability
3. Power Assist

These steps are explained in the article...

Comparing the three types of hybrid vehicles

There are three primary types of hybrid vehicles we are going to compare: the parallel hybrid, the mild hybrid and the plug-in hybrid. In the next section, we will outline the comparisons of these hybrid vehicles...

So you want a hybrid car - but why? What's so great about hybrids?

The term hybrid is one of the hottest new buzz words to enter the English lexicon. In our global economy and an ever-growing awareness of the limitations of our resources, people everywhere are concerned about how we can maintain our lifestyles into the future. There is a plethora of curiosity, enthusiasm and confusion surrounding this term as we face high gas prices and a bleak forecast for our natural environment. Our very lifestyles are being threatened, and so people all over the world look to the hybrid car as a potential solution, allowing us to continue speeding across our lands and living our lives of convenience. With all these concerns riding on the success of such new technology, it is no wonder that people want to know, in simple terms, how hybrid cars work...

How many MPG's does the Toyota Prius really get?

When it comes to hybrid cars, one of the most important, if not the most important metric, are the mpg's (miles per gallon). So how many miles per gallon does your Prius hybrid get? When I accompanied my fiance to buy one last year, we were greeted with an EPA mpg on the sticker touting a city mpg of 60, and a highway mpg of 50...

What is a plug-in hybrid automobile?

Hybrid cars use a combination of fuel and stored electrical power (in a battery) to optimize fuel consumption and help reduce emissions. They can be seen as a stepping stone between fuel-based cars and electric automobiles. What many consumers, as well as owners of hybrid automobiles don't realize, is that it's possible to purchase a kit that will turn your hybrid into a plug-in hybrid automobile. In other words, into an electric vehicle. The problem with these kits is that they currently are only available on the black market, and as such they will invalidate your warranty if you install them. They are also better suited to certain hybrid automobile models than to others...