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Hybrid Cars and Conventional Cars

Today, the question on everybody’s lips is, what is the difference between a hybrid car and a conventional vehicle? There must be some good reason why people are debating whether hybrid cars are worth the money and checking their wallets and savings account to see if they can afford to buy a hybrid car.

There must be a decent reason why some people wouldn’t dream of spending their hard-earned money on a hybrid car because they feel their conventional car takes them wherever they need to go just fine. Here are some of the reasons why a person may choose a conventional car over a hybrid car.

Hybrid cars are more expensive than conventional cars: because hybrid cars have a complex internal design, they do still have a fairly hefty price tag. On the other hand, conventional cars, which have gotten more efficient in design as the years have gone on, are quite affordable these days. Many people are selling their old conventional cars in favour of newer, more efficient versions.

They are so inefficient in fact, that some people even give their old cars away. However, since a large percentage of the general population has never owned a hybrid, there aren’t many people selling used hybrid cars yet. Therefore, the average person looking to buy a hybrid would probably have to purchase a new one from a car dealer.

Both a hybrid car and a conventional car use similar types of batteries: a hybrid car and a conventional car both use lead acid batteries that hold enough energy to power a small electric motor. These batteries are what you call “gear reduced”. That means that they can turn over this motor at approximately 300 rpms. Torque is generated to turn over the engine and the entire process is what starts the main engine.

But even though a hybrid car uses a lead-acid battery, the battery it uses to drive the car’s electric engine is constructed differently. This kind of battery is known as a ‘deep cycle battery’ and it can be compared to the batteries that are used to power electric fork-lift trucks, milk floats or golf carts.

That’s the main difference between a hybrid car and a conventional car. One person might choose a hybrid car because it makes them feel more secure. For instance, if a person buys a hybrid car, they can feel secure that their car will be less likely to run out of gas. Another person might not choose a conventional car because the cost of gas doesn’t really bother them that much.

However, a conventional car provides security as well, but of a different sort. With a conventional car, a person can be sure that they can always go to a junkyard, when they need to replace old parts on their car. On the other hand, those with a hybrid car will probably have to pay some pretty pricey repair receipts if something goes wrong.

However, the final decision remains all yours. There are certain risks involved with both kinds of cars. But those who like to try out new technology might just consider splurging out on a new hybrid car.

If you are interested in the insides of New Hybrid Vehicles, please visit our website on http://new-hybrid-vehicles.com

Posted by Colin Jones on March 8th, 2010 No Comments

The Hybrid Car and Petrol Prices

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

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 called the hybrid electric vehicle or HEV, makes use 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 run, an electric battery is used to store the electrical energy that powers the hybrid car’s electrical engine.

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 greatly reduced polluting emissions.

Aside from the petrol engine, the hybrid electric car also has a specially designed electric motor built in that not only produces 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 requires much more power, such as when climbing a hill. The petrol engine also compensates the electric motor with power whenever the car needs it in order to go faster such as when overtaking. The gas and the electric motor can also work in combination at certain cases when needed.

Because the hybrid electric car makes use of both an electric motor as well as a gas motor, a substantial improvement in car mileage is achieved. A hybrid electric vehicle or HEV can run much longer distances using the same amount of gas compared with a traditional gas powered vehicle.

Whenever the electric motor is being used, petrol consumption is reduced. This results in less petrol being used when running the same distance as a traditional petrol powered vehicle. And because the hybrid electric car has a smaller 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 require less energy to move. The resulting efficiency makes the hybrid electric car quite a great option for people worried about rising 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 petrol while driving.

If you would like to know more about the technology of New Hybrid Vehicles, you should visit our web resource where there is lots of information on http://new-hybrid-vehicles.com

Posted by Colin Jones on September 8th, 2009 No Comments

Hybrid Cars and Plug-in Hybrid Cars

Hybrid cars are on everyone’s lips. Twenty, forty, or fifty dollars for a full tank of gas? Who in their right mind wants to pay that sort of money? However, frustrated, the fuel customer sighs, but pays up. However, hybrid vehicles are applauded for the small amount of gas they need to operate, and they are flying off the lots of car dealerships each and everyday in increasing numbers.

However, what about a plug-in hybrid? Most drivers have heard that these cars are great as well. Then, someone might be asking him or herself, what exactly a plug-in hybrid is? How they work, and what the difference between a plug-in hybrid and a regular hybrid is?

Plug-in hybrids are capable of running solely on batteries, but they can use petrol also. These kinds of hybrid cars have some of the characteristics of hybrid vehicles. They are also very similar to all-electric vehicles.

Plug-in hybrid vehicles need to be charged externally by plugging them into an electrical power source. The combustion engine of plug-in hybrid vehicles is used only as a back up. These cars can run only on batteries if desired, but it is expected that these types of hybrid cars are recharged every day.

Hybrid cars travel just as many miles as a conventional car. Designed to go the extra mile where fuel-mileage is concerned, hybrids can be driven on the highway, in cities, or wherever else a person needs to travel.

On the other hand, plug-in hybrids are meant to be driven commuter-length distances, meaning between twenty and sixty miles. Used in this way, the plug-in hybrid does not have to make use of its back up combustion engine, but plug-in hybrids can go further using fuel as well.

Hybrids help to reduce pollution, but they do still pollute the atmosphere. Compared with plug-in hybrids, hybrid cars still have a long way to go as far as pollution is concerned. Because plug-in hybrid cars can run solely on their battery power, they don’t have to emit waste fuel emissions at all.

Plug-in hybrids really do cut total greenhouse gas emissions and plug-in hybrids use practically no oil at all, imported or not. Studies have revealed that electric hybrids emit at least 67% less greenhouse gases than gasoline cars. Since the electric used to power plug-in hybrids is completely renewable, the difference in greenhouse gas emissions may be even greater than the study determined.

There you have it - the main differences between plug-in hybrids and regular hybrid cars. It could make a big difference, but you would be surprised at how little it actually matters at the moment, but that’s only because plug-in hybrids are not being marketed to consumers yet! But this article should make you enthusiastic about the wonderful plug-in hybrid car, which will be featuring soon on a forecourt near you.

And it’s going to be a great debut too, since people already like the current hybrid car models, but they haven’t seen anything yet until they see the new plug-in hybrid cars. However, for now, maybe we should just be happy with what we already have, because who knows? Before plug-in hybrid cars are brought out onto the forecourts, something even better might be introduced onto the market.

If you are interested in the insides of New Hybrid Vehicles, just visit our website at http://new-hybrid-vehicles.com

Posted by Colin Jones on September 1st, 2009 No Comments

Hybrid Cars and Plug-in Hybrid Cars

Hybrid cars are on everyone’s minds. Twenty, forty, or fifty dollars for a full tank of fuel? Who in their right mind wants to pay that sort of money? However, frustrated, the gas customer sighs, but pays up. However, hybrid vehicles are applauded for the small amount of gas they need to operate, and they are being driven off the lots of car dealerships each and everyday in increasing numbers.

So, what about a plug-in hybrid? Most consumers have heard that these vehicles are great too. Then, a person might be asking him or herself, what exactly a plug-in hybrid is? How they work, and what the difference between a plug-in hybrid and a regular hybrid is?

Plug-in hybrids are capable of running solely on batteries, but they can use fuel also. These types of hybrid cars share some of the characteristics of hybrid vehicles. They are also very similar to all-electric vehicles.

Plug-in hybrid cars must be recharged externally by connecting a plug to an electrical power source. The combustion engine in plug-in hybrid vehicles is engaged only as a back up. These cars can run only on batteries if desired, but it is expected that these types of hybrid cars are recharged daily.

Hybrid cars travel just as many miles as a conventional car. Designed to go the extra mile where fuel-mileage is concerned, hybrids can be driven on the highway, in cities, or wherever else a person needs to travel.

On the other hand, plug-in hybrids are designed to be driven commuter-type distances, meaning about twenty to sixty miles between destinations. This way, the plug-in hybrid does not have to use its back up combustion engine, but plug-in hybrids can go further using fuel too.

Hybrids help to reduce pollution, but they do still pollute the atmosphere. Compared with plug-in hybrids, hybrid cars still have a long way to go as far as pollution is concerned. Because plug-in hybrid cars can run solely on their battery power, they don’t have to emit waste fuel emissions at all.

Plug-in hybrids really do cut total greenhouse gas emissions and plug-in hybrids use practically no oil at all, imported or not. Studies have revealed that electric hybrids emit at least 67% less greenhouse gases than gasoline cars. Since the electric used to power plug-in hybrids is completely renewable, the difference in greenhouse gas emissions may be even greater than the study showed.

And so there you have it. Those are the main differences between plug-in hybrids and regular hybrid cars. It makes a big difference, but you would be surprised how little that matters at the current moment. And that’s only because plug-in hybrids are not being sold to consumers at this present time. But this article should get you excited about the wonderful plug-in hybrid car, coming soon to a dealership near you.

And it’s going to be a spectacular debut too - people already like current hybrid cars, but they haven’t seen anything until they see the new plug-in hybrid cars. However, for now, maybe we should just be satisfied with what we already have, because who knows? Before plug-in hybrid cars come out onto the forecourts, something even better might be introduced onto the market.

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Posted by Colin Jones on August 5th, 2009 No Comments

Hybrid Car Battery Packs Info

Those thinking about purchasing a hybrid car may be more than a little concerned about what lies under the hood. Hybrid cars have partially battery-powered motors. Since a battery powered engines is not what that typically springs to mind when people think about what is driving a vehicle, it’s a good idea to get some sort of an understanding of hybrid car battery packs. You will find a few salient details about them below.

Hybrid car battery packs do not need to be replaced like flashlight batteries do. They are made to last over the lifetime of the vehicle, and therefore a hybrid car’s warranty covers the battery pack for a time period that lasts between eight and ten years. In terms of mileage, a hybrid car battery pack is expected to last between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, and it probably will last even longer than that.

The toxicity of hybrid car battery packs is a concern, but not a major concern, because hybrid car batteries use NiMH batteries, not the cheaper rechargeable nickel cadmium ones. Nickel cadmium batteries can be damaging to the environment if not disposed of professionally, but the NiMH batteries that are sold in in hybrid car battery packs are very safe and fully recyclable.

Hybrid car battery packs contain hundreds of cells. Hundreds of cells means that hybrid cars have a complex battery underneath their hoods, and complexity does usually mean expensive, but with the generous warranty car manufacturers are giving on these cars, there is little risk of additional massive expense from the battery pack involved in purchasing a hybrid car.

The number of hybrid car battery pack failures reported has been really very low. When I say low, I mean negligible. If failure does happen, it is usually before the hybrid car even leaves the salesman’s garage. Toyota has even declared that some of its first Prius hybrid models have battery packs that have lasted over 300,000 miles.

The cost of replacing hybrid car battery packs isn’t really even an issue It isn’t an issue because the hybrid car battery packs are built to last. The Department of Energy looked into hybrid cars, but stopped its test when the capacity was “just like new” after 160,000 miles. So very few people really seem to know for sure what it costs to replace hybrid car battery packs.

Hybrid car battery packs are evolving very quickly. If we look into the near future, we can see the next generation of hybrid car batteries is already in the works. The goal is, naturally, to develop the technology so that it gives loads of power, outlives the hybrid car’s lifetime, and costs less to make than it does these days.

If your hybrid car battery pack does develop a problem, there is a solution. Toyota has given some advice on what to do, should your hybrid battery pack run out after the warranty has expired. Their advice is to have the battery reconditioned. This solution works well because if something does go wrong, the problem usually lies with only one of the 28 modules that make up the battery.

So, if you simply replace the problematic module with one that matches the chemistry of the remaining hybrid car battery pack’s 27 modules, your hybrid car’s battery should be back to new(ish). You can find a matching module by getting a battery pack from another car that has a similar mileage and age.

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Posted by Colin Jones on July 17th, 2009 No Comments

The History Of The Hybrid Vehicle

Just where did a hybrid car get it’s beginnings? Well, read on to find out. Hybrid cars are very popular for today’s car buyers, and there are many reasons why. But before you even think about choosing a hybrid car to buy, you might want to know a little bit about the history of the hybrid car first.

Surprisingly, hybrid cars were around even before gas-powered cars. Back in about the year 1665, a Jesuit priest by the name of Ferdinand Verbeist began plans for a certain type of vehicle. That vehicle would be very simple, nothing complex, or intricate. Simple was all he wanted.

So it was that Ferdinand planned out a car that would have four wheels and would run on steam. It took about fifteen years of sweat and toil for Ferdinand to complete his plan. He worked|laboured to perfect his dream car. But no one knows for certain if he ever finished it because there is no evidence that his concept ever passed into existence.

Then in 1769, a man by the name of Nicholas Cugnot designed and developed a carriage that was powered by steam. This vehicle really did work and it went at six miles per hour. This project was great, but it was difficult to get the amount of steam needed to make the car to travel any significant distance.

A break through in hybrid car development finally came when Robert Anderson developed an electric powered car in 1839. It was the first among its kind. The car was built in Scotland.

This electric car was a highly applauded innovation of its time. However, the only problem was that it was very difficult to recharge the car’s battery. Some pioneers came after Anderson, but they too had a hard time getting the battery recharged easily.

Finally in the year 1898 Porsche manufactured an electric and fuel combustion engine that was the first of its time. The car was called the Lohner Electric Chaise, and it could go up to 40 miles just using batteries.

Soon pioneers combined both a gas and a battery powered engine to power what would become today’s hybrid car. In 1999, Honda made a leap into the US market. It came out with the Insight. This was a lightweight two-door hybrid. Since then, hybrid cars have just been evolving and improving into what you see on the markets today. Hybrid cars aren’t just for techies who think it’s cool to combine battery and fuel power to get them where they need to go. Hybrid cars started out simple, and they are still simple today.

These days hybrid cars are becoming increasingly popular as people understand them better. In the 21st century, hybrids saw a boom in sales when the Toyota Prius came out on the streets. It was the first hybrid with four doors that was marketed in the USA.

Soon afterwards, the Ford Escape hybrid became the very first SUV hybrid vehicle ever made. And so there it is in a nut shell, the history of the hybrid car - today’s most modern on road, mass-produced vehicle.

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Posted by Colin Jones on July 16th, 2009 No Comments

The Hybrid Car and Fuel Prices

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

A hybrid car is the sort of car, or any other vehicle, that makes use of at least two different fuel sources to make it go. Both fuel types are used together sometimes to help propel the car more efficiently. There are several different types of hybrid car available, but the most common hybrid car until now is the gas electric hybrid.

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

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

Apart from the petrol engine, the hybrid electric car also has a specially designed electric motor built in that not only produces added 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 additional efficiency.

In a common 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 requires much more power, such as when climbing a hill. The gas engine also compensates the electric motor with power whenever the car needs it in order to go faster such as when overtaking. The gas and the electric motor can also work in combination at certain cases when necessary.

Because the hybrid electric car makes use of 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 petrol compared to a conventional gas powered car.

When the electric motor is being used, petrol consumption is reduced. This results in quite a bit less petrol being used when going 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 parts of the hybrid car engine are also smaller and require less energy to move. This efficiency makes the hybrid electric car quite a great option for people concerned with rising gas prices. Using a hybrid car can help drivers save a substantial amount of petrolwhen traveling. Not only that, using the hybrid car can also help in reducing polluting emissions by using less gas while driving.

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Posted by Colin Jones on June 23rd, 2009 No Comments

Hybrid Car Myths

If you are considering a hybrid vehicle, you may be hearing quite a bit of “gossip”. Some people think the hybrid car is the best thing on the market. Some people say it’ll just pass. Yet other people again say they think they can save a packet, but you’re not sure it’s really worth it. What is the truth, and how do you separate myth from fact with all of the stuff that is being thrown at you? Below, you can read and consider the common hybrid car myths.

Hybrid cars are just the same as electric cars: This is untrue because hybrid vehicles are fuel-powered most of the time. But they have what are called ‘battery assists’. The assist is powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery pack that is rechargeable.

You are guaranteed to save money with a hybrid car: If you are doing town motoring, you may economize on fuel and you may not. The same goes for highway driving. There are so just many different factors involved. It has been said that if everyone bought a hybrid car, the fuel consumption would decrease by only 10%. That’s not a very big decline, now is it?

A hybrid cars battery can run out: A hybrid car battery should not run out while you are actually driving it. The engine in a hybrid car does not idle when stopped (at a red light for instance). What does it do instead then? It recharges its battery. So there’s no need to worry about a hybrid car stopping on that score.

A hybrid car’s rechargeable battery only lasts for 2 years: A hybrid car certainly would not be worth purchasing if this was the case. A hybrid car’s rechargeable batteries usually come with an eight-year guaranty.

If I run out of gas, I can continue driving on the hybrid car battery: Bear in mind, a hybrid car’s battery is an assist. That means that hybrid car’s still run on fuel. After you run out of gas, the battery could keep the car running for a short while. However, the car will cease running pretty soon.

Hybrid vehicles will soon put conventional car dealers out of business: This probably won’t take place anytime soon. The reason for the delay has to do with the how much hybrids cost. Many people just can’t afford one. Furthermore, people just aren’t certain whether they will really save money by buying a hybrid car. Therefore, they are slow to join the rush of people who want to own a hybrid vehicle.

Hybrid cars will only save you about $88 a year: I did hear something on the news about this one day, but it may not be true. If there’s something you really want though, and there’s a lot of smoke surrounding it, you simply have to start digging and do some of your own research. There are many different models of hybrid vehicle, and many different manufacturers make them. This means that there may be many more variables involved than the ones discussed here. A hybrid car may help you, and it may not, but the final decision is all yours.

Therefore, please don’t worry a great deal about what people say. They probably have only listened to others passing on rumours Do your own due diligence and think it out for yourself. Try the Internet to get your information. The manufacturer’s advertising is also rather useful, if you stick to reading the facts and gloss over the gloss. Check that what the literature claims is also in the warranty.

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Posted by Colin Jones on June 5th, 2009 No Comments

Myths Spread about Hybrid Vehicles

If you are thinking about a hybrid car, you may be hearing quite a bit of “talk”. Some people think the hybrid car is the best thing on the market. Some people say it’ll just pass. Other people say they think they can save a lot of money, but you’re not sure it’s really worth it. What’s the truth, and how do you separate myth from fact with all of the stuff that is being thrown at you? Below, you can read and understand the common hybrid car myths.

Hybrid cars are the same as electric cars: This is untrue since hybrid vehicles are fuel-powered for the most part. But they have what are called ‘battery assists’. The assist is powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery pack that is rechargeable.

You are guaranteed to economize with a hybrid vehicle: If you are doing city driving, you may save gas and you may not. The same goes for motorway driving. There are just too many different factors involved. It has been said that if everyone bought hybrid cars, the fuel consumption would drop by only 10%. That’s not a very big decline, is it?

A hybrid vehicle’s battery can run out: A hybrid car’s battery should not run out while you are actually driving it. The engine in a hybrid car does not idle when stopped (at a red light for instance). What does it do instead? Well, it is recharging its battery. So, there is no need to worry about a hybrid car stopping for that reason.

The hybrid car’s rechargeable battery lasts only for 2 years: A hybrid car definitely would not be worth purchasing if this was the case. A hybrid car’s rechargeable batteries usually come with an eight-year warranty.

If I run out of gas, I can continue driving on the hybrid car battery: Bear in mind, a hybrid car’s battery is an assist. That means that hybrid car’s still run on fuel. After you run out of gas, the battery could keep the car running for a short while. However, the car will cease running pretty soon.

Hybrid cars will soon put normal car dealers out of business: I’m sure that this won’t take place anytime soon. The reason for the delay has to do with the how much hybrids cost. Most people simply can’t afford one. Also, people just aren’t certain whether they will really save money by buying a hybrid car. Therefore, they are slow to join the rush of people who want to buy a hybrid vehicle.

Hybrid cars will only save you about 88USD per annum: I did see something on the news the other day, but it may not be true. If there’s something you really want and there’s a lot of gossip surrounding it, you simply have got to start digging around and do of your own research. There are many different types of hybrid vehicle, and many different manufacturers make them. This means that there may be much more involved than we have discussed here. A hybrid car may help you, and it may not, but the final decision is up to you.

Therefore, please don’t worry a great deal about what other people say. They probably have only listened to others passing on rumours. Do your own due diligence and think it out for yourself. Use the Internet to get your information. The manufacturer’s advertising is also rather useful, if you stick to reading the facts and skip over the hype. Check that whatever the literature claims is also in the guarantee.

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Posted by Colin Jones on April 20th, 2009 No Comments