Automotive News

Hybrid cars join the two energy components of petrol and electricity to produce a hyper-low emission, cheap to run, quiet motor vehicle that recharges itself, as you drive. Hybrid cars can be very small to near-zero greenhouse gas emissions. For instance, the Toyota Prius has near-zero tailpipe emissions and no evaporative emissions.

The conventional old petrol engine are required when one needs acceleration, or for going uphill, or overtaking other cars. For high-speed cars, the conventional gasoline engines provided sufficient power, and acceleration. However, for driving at a fixed speed, and on plain simple roads, much of their potential and power is not used. For driving at fixed speed, power steering, running air-conditioner, lights, brake, and transmission, and for overcoming friction, and aerodynamic drag, the car requires only about twenty horsepower.

In a hybrid car, the two different power systems work together when high power is needed, in conditions like accelerating the car, going uphill, or overtaking another car. The combustion engine in a hybrid car is smaller, lesser in weight, and greater in fuel efficiency than a conventional car. Only when the cars need more power, the petrol is required to derive energy. This makes the hybrid car a greener solution, and is not only good for the Earth, but also for budget. Less consumption of petrol helps saving the depleting resource of energy as well as fewer greenhouses gasses are released.

Hybrid cars cost less in terms of fuel consumption. Petrol is required where a lot of energy is expected to be used up to gain extra acceleration, and load. In addition, hybrid cars have the advantage of shutting down automatically when the lights are on in an inactive manner for long. Since, petrol is not much depended upon; therefore, national foreign oil reliability meets some reduction as well. In addition, keeping in mind the unstable circumstances regarding oil on an international scale, this happens to be the most appropriate time for such a switch over. Thus, these benefits of hybrid cars might prove to be greatly advantageous in the near future.

Moreover, it also has a good resale value. In the USA, where there is a waiting list for buying some of these cars, resale value is good, as people cannot wait to get into a hybrid. It overcomes limited drive range of electric car. A hybrid can give a driving range of more than 500 miles, without having to plug in your car to recharge. Lastly, there are incentives in the form of tax rebates on purchase price in the US, and some states offer the use of low traffic lanes to hybrid cars.

The hybrid cars market is on upswing and is growing very rapidly. The expenditure on gasoline in America every minute is about $200,000, not to say about to depend on foreign oil. Hybrid vehicles have started entering the market and represent the first step in reducing oil consumption in America.

It is expected that in the coming years, hybrid batteries will become the major development area in hybrid vehicle evolution. Present hybrid cars use the NiMH batteries, but it is expected that Lithium-ion batteries will replace them in future hybrid cars.

Use of lithium ion batteries will not only provide greater efficiency, but also will make the hybrid cars lighter, and cheaper. Hybrid battery technology if worked on can benefit the hybrid car evolution greatly. Especially the full hybrids made by Ford and Toyota will benefit a great deal.

Discover more about Lexus Hybrid Cars, visit the Lexus website for more information and to book a test drive.