Hybrid Cars - The Vehicles Of The Future

A new form of hybrid has entered the English language. Not so long ago, if you heard a fragment of conversation containing the word 'hybrid' you would have assumed that it either referred to a rose, as in 'F1 Hybrid' or possibly a wolf-dog variety. However, nowadays, someone mentioning the word 'hybrid' is more likely to be referring to a vehicle.

A new sort of car that has two engines and burns far less petrol or diesel than its antecedents because it relies on contemporary technology. The concept of a hybrid car is not new at all. One of the first cars, well over a hundred years ago was a hybrid. In fact, that ancient hybrid car also used petrol and electricity from batteries.

Contemporary hybrid vehicles also make use of oil derivatives and electricity stored in batteries as sources of power. In essence, a hybrid car will use its petrol engine while the driver needs power, for example whilst overtaking or going up hill, but it will automatically switch to the electric motor while the car is at a cruising speed or creeping through inner city traffic.

The switch from one power source to the other is automatic and seamless. The driver might become aware of the switch, but does not have to initiate that change or even approve it.

Most hybrid cars will switch themselves off while the car comes to a halt and will start up again whilst the accelerator is depressed. This one feature alone saves a lot of fuel. In traffic, the car is probably using its battery-powered electric motor anyway, so it is very easy to stop and start it.

A hybrid car can be plugged into the national electricity grid to recharge its batteries, which may become necessary sometimes if the car is locked in traffic for a substantial part of the week. However, if you drive on long runs and in the city, that is give your hybrid car a balanced usage, the car will keep the batteries recharged by itself - mostly by the use of alternators and the braking system.

The hopes of governments, environmentalists and drivers are being pinned on the more widespread use of hybrid cars and here are a couple reasons why:

1) if the fuel efficiency of US cars was raised by one mile per gallon, it would save the total oil produced in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge over two years.

2) the US would not have to import any oil at all from Kuwait or Iraq, if engine efficiency was raised by 2.7 mpg

3) if US car fuel efficiency was raised by 7.6%, then they would not need to import any oil from the Gulf at all.

Hybrid cars generally save over 7.6% on oil consumption, so the proliferation of hybrid cars and hybrid trucks could resolve the fuel and environmental crises being felt by Western countries and eradicate our reliance on Arab oil.