Hybrid Cars Review
Since you have landed on this article, I'm guessing that you are searching for information on hybrid cars review. But before we get into all that, why not see what a hybrid car is. The term hybrid is used when the regular gasoline engine is coupled with a battery, giving electric power to the car. Now, why such a car? Well, for starters, it gives off lesser carbon dioxide and in return, gives better mileage.
Many auto companies are coming up with new technologies to make their hybrid cars bigger, better, and more efficient. However, there is a debate if the cars are really better than the "gasoline" ones. To help understand that, let's take an example. The hybrid car batteries are made in one country, they are shipped to the country where the car is being assembled, burning fuel in transporting them. The cars are assembled and then transported again; which means more fuel is needed. Then you charge your battery, and people opine that since it runs on battery, it emits no pollutants. However, generating electricity itself emits so much smoke that in the process, you anyway end up polluting the atmosphere.
An Overview on Hybrid Cars
While talking about the car review, it should not be confused for a hydrogen fuel cell car, such as Honda FCX Clarity. It is an alternative to traditional cars and not similar to hybrids. But for the sake for the article (and not wander off to another topic), we'll stick to the car review only. Keeping that in mind, let's see the 3 types of hybrids and their reviews.
What are Full Hybrids
A full hybrid car is like a regular car running on gasoline. However, in addition to that gasoline engine, this type of car is coupled with a small electric motor to give it supplementary power. One of the best features of this type of car is that it can solely utilize the electric motor to power the car, cutting off the gasoline engine at low speeds. At higher speed, gasoline engine takes over, thus improving mileage. This type of car can use 1-3 electric motors. Once the car picks up certain amount of speed, the electric motor kicks in to give that extra boost to the gasoline engine.
Another beautiful feature of this car is that, as it runs on electric motor on lower speed, the car turns off automatically when idle or stationary. What this does is improve mileage, making the emissions close to zero. When the battery power runs low, the gasoline engine takes over, avoiding conflicts and hampering the performance of the car. The most successful car that is a full hybrid is the Toyota Prius. You can find many full hybrids in market today, ranging from sedans to SUVs like Ford Fusion Hybrid, Mercury Milan Hybrid, Ford Escape, Nissan Altima Hybrid, etc. However, with the extra batteries, these hybrid cars' cost price can go up drastically; more than the traditional gas-only ones. I would like to end this section on a positive note; many states across U.S. allow hybrids to use carpool lanes, irrespective of the quantity of people inside.
What are Mild Hybrids
A mild hybrid car is pretty much the same as a full hybrid model. To make the car run, its electric motor helps with the operation of the internal engine and generate enough power. However, the only difference between full hybrid and mild hybrid is the ratio of the power and energy of the electric motors. In this type of a car, the battery/batteries are smaller as compared to the full hybrid, due to which the cost comes down drastically along with the overall weight of the car. Honda is one of the companies to have introduced the mild hybrids along with the General Motors's Silverado in 2005 - 2006.
Similar to full hybrids, the mild hybrids also turns the engine off when idle or stationary. The only difference is that the electrical motors are not capable enough to drive the car with only battery power when the traffic is moving slowly. You can find many mild hybrids in market today like Saturn Vue Green Line, Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid, BMW ActiveHybrid, etc.
With mild hybrids, once the engine has stopped, the emissions reduce to zero, giving you a chance for a government tax credit. Plus, the cost of these cars are much lesser than the full ones.
What are Plug-in Hybrids
Plug-in hybrids are also known as Plug-in hybrids electric vehicle. These cars work completely on electric motors and take very little help of the gasoline engine. These types of cars are stored with rechargeable batteries that can be easily reloaded to full with an external electric supply. Now you must be wondering, "why would someone wait and want to recharge their car, like a cell phone"? Well, these plug-in hybrids are basically hybrids with a power cord. Instead of filling in gas, you are using a 110-120 volt outlets. Plus, it doesn't hurt to have an extra fuel tank for dire times. The cost to "fill" her up is about under US$ 1 per gallon. You can find many plug-in hybrids in market today like VentureOne Hybrid, Chevrolet Volt, GM Plug-in Crossover SUV, Fisher Karma, etc. With plug-in cars, you can actually avail two times as much fuel economy of a full hybrid.
With the talks of global warming and environmental pollution, it's about time we started doing something about it. And if hybrids are the answer for them, for now, then I guess we will have to take it. As companies are trying to go green and bring in the new change in the way we look at transportation, hybrids are taking small steps towards big goals.
On that note, we end our article. One quick thought; gasoline delivers a lot of power. While to get maximum power out of battery, you will require an army or batteries and a strong motor. Although hybrid cars still have a long way to go and perhaps they will one day replace the existing gasoline engines and save the atmosphere by reducing the green house gases.
