*** SEIZED CAR AUCTIONS ***

Find Out More About Build A Car Online - Hondas, Mercedes & More
Find Your Dream Cars Up To 95% Off Retail Prices!
Drive Off A New Or Used Car For As Low As $200...
Search To Get Your Luxury Car Now!


Thursday, July 9, 2009

The Hybrid Car and Fuel Prices

By Colin Jones

The appeal and popularity of the hybrid car have grown steadily, especially with the growing concerns about high gas prices as well as worsening air pollution. Here are some useful bits of information that might help you learn more about hybrid cars and how they can help you save on gas and be somewhat protected from rising fuel.

A hybrid car is the type of car, or any other vehicle, that makes use of at least two different fuel sources to make it run. Both fuel sources are used together in some instances to help propel the vehicle more efficiently. There are several different combinations of hybrid car possible, but the most common hybrid car so far is the gas-electric hybrid.

The gas-electric hybrid car, also known as the hybrid electric vehicle or HEV, uses of a gasoline internal combustion engine or ICE and a quite separate electric motor to power it. While the ICE makes uses petrol to make it go, an electric battery is used to store the electrical energy that powers the hybrid car's electrical motor.

The HEV usually has a gas engine that is smaller in size and weight than the conventional one used in standard petrol powered cars. Use of more advanced technology makes this possible and allows the HEV to have better running efficiency as well as substantially reduced polluting emissions.

Apart from the gas engine, the hybrid electric car also has a special electric motor built in that not only provides additional power to the car but also acts as a generator when not being used. The electric motor can act as a generator, in situations where it is not being used to drive the hybrid car, to help charge the battery for added efficiency.

In a popular HEV set up, the car uses its electric motor when being propelled at very low speeds, say, in heavy traffic. The gasoline engine acts as a secondary power source when the HEV needs much more power, such as when climbing a hill. The gas engine also compensates the electric motor with power whenever the car calls for it in order to go faster such as when overtaking. The gas and the electric motor can also work together at certain instances if necessary.

Because the hybrid electric car uses both an electric motor as well as a gas engine, a substantial improvement in car mileage is achieved. A hybrid electric vehicle or HEV can run longer distances using the same amount of gas compared to a conventional petrol powered car.

When the electric motor is being used, petrol consumption is reduced. This results in quite a bit less petrol being used when running the same distance as a traditional petrol powered vehicle. And because the hybrid electric car has a smaller, lighter petrol engine, the hybrid car also runs more efficiently because of less engine weight compared to a conventional car's engine.

The working components of the hybrid car engine are also smaller and so need less energy to move. The resulting efficiency makes the hybrid electric car quite a great option for people concerned with higher petrol prices. Using a hybrid car can help motorists save a substantial amount of gas when traveling. Not only that, using the hybrid car can also help in reducing polluting emissions by using less gas while travelling. - 21393

About the Author:

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home