Defining Hybrids:
''A vehicle is a hybrid if it utilizes more than one form of on-board energy to achieve propulsion. In practice, that means a hybrid will have a traditional internal-combustion engine and a fuel tank, as well as one or more electric motors and a battery pack.''
Hybrid cars are sometimes mistakenly confused with electric vehicles. Hybrids are most often gasoline-burning machines that utilize their electric bits to collect and reuse energy that normally goes to waste in standard cars. Theoretically, diesel-electric hybrids would be even more fuel-efficient, but hybrid systems and diesel engines both represent extra cost. So far, installing both in the same vehicle has proven to be prohibitively expensive.
Specification:
Exterior Measurements:
| 5 ft. 9.9 in. (69.9 in.) | 5 ft. 2 in. (62 in.) |
| 15 ft. 2.3 in. (182.3 in.) | 0 ft. 5.7 in. (5.7 in.) |
| 9 ft. 1.4 in. (109.4 in.) |
Interior Measurements:
| 39.6 in. | 53.5 in. |
| 41.3 in. | 55.9 in. |
| 53.5 in. | 38.6 in. |
| 35.9 in. | 55.2 in. |
Fuel:
| Hybrid | Regular unleaded |
| 11.9 gal. | 523.6/476.0 mi. |
| 44/40 mpg |
Hybrid Car Facts:
- Hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius produce 90% less pollutants
than comparable non-hybrid cars. By putting less harmful chemicals
in the environment, the harmful effects of pollution can be halted
or even reversed.
- The United States government supports hybrid car ownership by
allowing a tax write off. In 2005, this rebate may be as high
as $5000!
- While it is true that hybrid cars do have expensive parts, they
also have warranties that provide free replacement of the most
expensive parts for many years.
- Hybrid cars show much lower depreciation rates than standard
gasoline cars. They are now and will continue to be in extremely
high demand, so hybrid cars keep their values very well, making
a hybrid car a sound investment.
- Though hybrid cars have not been on the US market for very long,
they have been sold in Japan since 1997. Some consumers worry
that hybrid cars may not last as long as other cars, but it is
not abnormal for a hybrid car to run like new when it has 250,000
miles on it. The best part - hybrid cars don't require any more
maintenance than gasoline cars.
- Hybrid cars aren't a fad. Nearly every major automobile manufacturer
has announced either the launch of a hybrid car or plans for a
launch. A large part of this is due to the CAFE (Corporate Average
Fuel Economy) regulation, by which an automaker must maintain
a minimum mileage of 27.5mpg across its product line. By investing
in hybrid technology, they can offer faster, larger engines in
the rest of their line.
- You don't have to be an environmentalist to love hybrid cars. Consider the following: ACME Construction has a fleet of 10 work trucks that together drive 2500 miles a week, and guzzle $308 of gas a week. A new hybrid truck offered by a major manufacturer can save ACME Construction nearly $7000 per year, in gasoline costs alone. When factoring in lower depreciation and tax incentives, this number skyrockets. Capitalists can love hybrids too.
Hybrid Cars and Pollution:
It may seem excessive to spend so much time and
money developing more economical cars as an alternative to gasoline
automobiles, especially since the general population seems to be
perfectly happy with current automotive technology, but hybrid cars
offer another great advantage; far lower emissions.
When emissions or tailpipe emissions are mentioned
in a discussion about cars, the terms refer to the gases released
by the burning of gasoline that pollute the atmosphere. These gases
are Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxides, and Hydrocarbons.
These gases, commonly referred to as greenhouse gases, are of particular
concern, because of their effect on the earth's climate by trapping
heat in the atmosphere that would normally be deflected back to
space. The National Research Council performed a study in May 2001
on the effects of greenhouse gas.
“Greenhouse gases are accumulating in
Earth’s atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing
surface air temperatures and sub-surface ocean temperatures to rise.
Temperatures are, in fact, rising. The changes observed over the
last several decades are likely mostly due to human activities,
but we cannot rule out that some significant part of these changes
is also a reflection of natural variability.”
To see how many pounds of greenhouse gases your
vehicles emit every year, click
here.
Hybrid cars have been accepted as an intermediary
solution to the current emissions problems that we face, as they
offer lower emissions than gasoline automobiles.
Hybrid cars Batteries:
Full hybrids vs. mild hybrids
Generally, there are two kind of hybrid cars: full hybrids and mild hybrids. Full hybrid systems allow both the gasoline engine and electric motor to provide power to the wheels; often, this allows the vehicle to shut down the gasoline engine when stopped at a red light, and to start driving the car on electric power only. The hybrid systems available from Toyota, Lexus and Ford employ this technology.
Mild hybrids, by contrast, use the electric motor primarily to boost the performance of the gasoline engine, when it needs extra power; this technology is seen most often in the hybrids sold by General Motors. In the mild hybrid vehicles available today, most use what's known as a Stop/Start hybrid system, which shuts the gasoline engine off at idle (like at a red light) and instantly starts it up again on demand (like when the light turns green and you hit the accelerator). For a full explanation of the differences between full and mild hybrids, see this article at HybridCars.com.
With all this technology, which hybrids are actually for sale? Read on for details on which hybrid cars you can buy along with more explanation of how they work, and what's on the horizon for hybrid cars.
Which hybrid cars can you buy?
The Toyota Prius is the best-selling hybrid in the US
There are currently eight hybrid cars available: Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Lexus GS 450h, Lexus LS 600h L, Saturn Aura Green Line and Nissan Altima; the Honda Insight has been retired, but many are still on the road. Additionally, there are five hybrid SUVs and minivans available: Toyota Highlander, Lexus RX 400h, Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner and Saturn Vue Green Line. A handful of other hybrid cars, SUVs, minivans and pick-up trucks are expected to go into production and be available in the next two or three years.
Here's an illustration of the basic operation of a hybrid car
Increasingly, though, the future of hybrids looks to be in the "series hybrid" or "plug-in hybrid electric vehicles" (PHEV); keep reading for details on when the future might arrive.
What is a "series hybrid"?
Taken as a whole, hybrids offer a mixed bag of issues, when it comes to their environmental considerations. They offer greater fuel efficiency and fewer greenhouse gas and particular emissions than conventional cars, but still run on gasoline, a finite and (some say) diminishing resource. They represent a technological step forward, but cost more money to buy and ultimately maintain than conventional cars. The electric batteries offer a way to power a car without using gasoline, but add weight to the car (reducing its efficiency) and are very costly (both financially and environmentally) to produce and dispose of. Green car enthusiasts generally accept hybrids as a positive step forward in greener personal transportation, but not as a long-term solution for a greener future.
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles
In addition to the Chevy Volt series hybrid mentioned above, the next development in hybrid cars is likely to be the "plug-in hybrid electric vehicle" (PHEV), which has a larger battery pack more capable of powering the vehicle on its own, without the need of the gasoline engine, for a number of miles. Though not required, these cars can be plugged in to help charge up the batteries; stay tuned for a future "Green Basics" column, all about plug-in hybrids.
Read more about hybrid-electric cars and vehicles
There are lots of resources for further reading; check out Wikipedia, hybridcars.com and hybrid-car.org to get started. Here at TreeHugger, have a peek at our Cars + Transportation category for more, or type "hybrid" into the search engine above to dig in to our coverage of hybrids.
Turn the ignition on other green topics with TreeHugger's Green Basics series that appear regularly on these pages.
No comments:
Post a Comment