Hybrid Cars: Are They the Way of the Future?
Every time I turn on the television, there is at least one commercial for automobiles per segment of the show I'm watching. And when I look closely at the car or SUV that is being promoted, I notice an ever increasing occurrence of the term "Hybrid."
What is a Hybrid car? Simply put, it is an amalgamation of two fuel types in one vehicle, battery and some liquid fuel, primarily gasoline. When the engine is called upon to deliver speed, like normal driving on city streets and on highways, the gasoline combustion engine delivers the necessary power. When the vehicle is travelling at a slow rate of speed, as in stop and go traffic, or circling the parking lot looking for a space, the battery provides the power source, and the gas engine shuts off.
It has long been known that a gasoline engine does not run efficiently at low speeds, and the exhaust emissions from operating the engine at such a pace can be significantly higher than those from an engine working in it's correct load range. It is this very reason that automotive engineers developed the hybrid car.
We've all seen electric powered golf carts flying across the fairway, disappearing over the next knoll without a sound. That's the basic technology behind the battery operation of the hybrid car. A golf cart is generally plugged in overnight to recharge the battery for the next day's activities. In a hybrid car, the gasoline engine directs a steady flow of electricity to the battery every time the engine is running. This keeps the battery charged
and ready for slow speed action.
As the price of gas continues to rise, and congestion on our city streets swells like the bellows of an accordion, the hybrid car is becoming a viable mode of transportation for even those motorists who were previously frightened away by the higher price tag. When hybrid cars were first introduced, they were flogged at the "green" people, those who were openly concerned about the effect of carbon emissions on the environment. It didn't take long for the high-end auto manufacturers, like BMW, Cadillac and Lincoln to develop their branded eco-mobiles so that their affluent customers can still display their status symbols AND show their concern for the environment.
Like every new technology, the general acceptance of the hybrid car by the masses has led to it's availability in almost every popular model on the market. It's probably as close to the car of the future as we can get today.
What is a Hybrid car? Simply put, it is an amalgamation of two fuel types in one vehicle, battery and some liquid fuel, primarily gasoline. When the engine is called upon to deliver speed, like normal driving on city streets and on highways, the gasoline combustion engine delivers the necessary power. When the vehicle is travelling at a slow rate of speed, as in stop and go traffic, or circling the parking lot looking for a space, the battery provides the power source, and the gas engine shuts off.
It has long been known that a gasoline engine does not run efficiently at low speeds, and the exhaust emissions from operating the engine at such a pace can be significantly higher than those from an engine working in it's correct load range. It is this very reason that automotive engineers developed the hybrid car.
We've all seen electric powered golf carts flying across the fairway, disappearing over the next knoll without a sound. That's the basic technology behind the battery operation of the hybrid car. A golf cart is generally plugged in overnight to recharge the battery for the next day's activities. In a hybrid car, the gasoline engine directs a steady flow of electricity to the battery every time the engine is running. This keeps the battery charged
and ready for slow speed action.
As the price of gas continues to rise, and congestion on our city streets swells like the bellows of an accordion, the hybrid car is becoming a viable mode of transportation for even those motorists who were previously frightened away by the higher price tag. When hybrid cars were first introduced, they were flogged at the "green" people, those who were openly concerned about the effect of carbon emissions on the environment. It didn't take long for the high-end auto manufacturers, like BMW, Cadillac and Lincoln to develop their branded eco-mobiles so that their affluent customers can still display their status symbols AND show their concern for the environment.
Like every new technology, the general acceptance of the hybrid car by the masses has led to it's availability in almost every popular model on the market. It's probably as close to the car of the future as we can get today.