Hybrid Auto Ratings Guide
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An Introduction to Hybrids
After nearly 100 years on the road the combustion engine is slowly becoming an old-timer. The environmental pollution and its unlimited thirst for fuel cause problems from smog to global warming. Furthermore, conventional engines actually become increasingly inefficient as they grow in size. Most cars use at the most one third of the energy present in the fuel, the remainder is lost in the form of heat and sound.
But the cleaner electrical technology, as in electrical vehicles, is not the ideal solution either. And hydrogen or gas cells are not fully developed yet. Here the hybrid car has its window of opportunity - a new automobile technology, which unites the best of two worlds: a gasoline and an electric motor.
Hybrid technology manages to do this by connecting a small petrol engine with a torque-strong electric motor and a battery. And can in this way lower the fuel consumption and have a lower pollution factor.
In fact, some hybrid vehicles produce 50% or more less emissions than your conventional car. Although this is very good indeed, one has to admit that two power sources under the hood are more complicated and more susceptible to errors. However, as hybrids become more popular quality and reliability have become consistent with their gas counterparts. And the best of everything is that these hybrid cars - in the short time the have been on the market - have proven to be very road worthy vehicles as well.
But the cleaner electrical technology, as in electrical vehicles, is not the ideal solution either. And hydrogen or gas cells are not fully developed yet. Here the hybrid car has its window of opportunity - a new automobile technology, which unites the best of two worlds: a gasoline and an electric motor.
Hybrid technology manages to do this by connecting a small petrol engine with a torque-strong electric motor and a battery. And can in this way lower the fuel consumption and have a lower pollution factor.
In fact, some hybrid vehicles produce 50% or more less emissions than your conventional car. Although this is very good indeed, one has to admit that two power sources under the hood are more complicated and more susceptible to errors. However, as hybrids become more popular quality and reliability have become consistent with their gas counterparts. And the best of everything is that these hybrid cars - in the short time the have been on the market - have proven to be very road worthy vehicles as well.
We have the top TEN rated models listed here as chosen by a consensus of Automotive magazine writers and Quality control consultants.
How Hybrids work
A hybrid car works by combining two smaller engines to produce the power of a larger engine. Usually, it's a gas engine and an electric engine. For instance, in the Toyota Prius it's currently a 106 horsepower I-4 engine combined with a 67 horsepower electric engine to produce a 173 horsepower car, about the same as any other I-4 engine or a small 6-Cylinder engine.
To improve fuel mileage and exhaust emissions, the electric engine does the work of starting the car and getting it going from a complete stop. In some hybrids, the electric engine is active all the way up to 35 miles per hour. One the vehicle is moving, the gas engine starts up and gives the car more power in addition to recharging the electric motor's batteries. The gas mileage operates at higher speeds because gas mileage improves with speed up to 65 miles per hour, after which it begins to drop again.
Another way the hybrids are used is as a sort of electric supercharger (mainly Honda and Lexus use them for this) to give the engine added power at lower speeds before letting the gas engine take over after a preset speed.
In the current market, there are 2 types of hybrid car. The first type is the series. Typically, the gasoline engine is used to start and stop the car. Once the hybrid car has attained a certain speed, the electric engine will take over. The gasoline engine is also used to charge the electric engine’s batteries. As you can see, both engines are used in tandem with each other but never together.
The second type is called the parallels. It has the same physical configuration of the series hybrid however the operation is quite different. Both the electric engine and the gasoline engine can be used to start and stop the car. The electric engine is used to boost the power of the car when required. Parallel hybrid cars are more suited for long distance traveling.
To improve fuel mileage and exhaust emissions, the electric engine does the work of starting the car and getting it going from a complete stop. In some hybrids, the electric engine is active all the way up to 35 miles per hour. One the vehicle is moving, the gas engine starts up and gives the car more power in addition to recharging the electric motor's batteries. The gas mileage operates at higher speeds because gas mileage improves with speed up to 65 miles per hour, after which it begins to drop again.
Another way the hybrids are used is as a sort of electric supercharger (mainly Honda and Lexus use them for this) to give the engine added power at lower speeds before letting the gas engine take over after a preset speed.
In the current market, there are 2 types of hybrid car. The first type is the series. Typically, the gasoline engine is used to start and stop the car. Once the hybrid car has attained a certain speed, the electric engine will take over. The gasoline engine is also used to charge the electric engine’s batteries. As you can see, both engines are used in tandem with each other but never together.
The second type is called the parallels. It has the same physical configuration of the series hybrid however the operation is quite different. Both the electric engine and the gasoline engine can be used to start and stop the car. The electric engine is used to boost the power of the car when required. Parallel hybrid cars are more suited for long distance traveling.
Advantages of a Hybrid
The obvious advantages are fuel and emissions savings. But besides those advantages there are others to consider.
Like conventional cars, hybrid car parts are also replaceable. Plus, hybrid auto parts sources are found everywhere. For Toyota Camry Hybrid, online Toyota car parts are always available. For example, if the joint ball of your Toyota Camry Hybrid is used up, you can always replace it with an authentic Toyota Camry ball joint. Even the complicated engine parts are now widely available at independent auto repair centers and more ASE certified mechanics are being trained everyday.
To top it all, hybrid car owners save on tax. The IRS has adopted large tax credit for purchase of new hybrid automobiles. But remember, these are credits, not deductions. The tax being paid depends upon the model of a particular hybrid car. The law states that every automaker is only allowed 60,000 vehicles to avail of the credit limit. It means that famous models should be sold out before Dec 31, 2010, the expiration date.
Now, why should you buy a hybrid car? Because it is as reliable and comfortable as conventional cars.
