If you are considering buying a hybrid car, you have probably heard quite a bit about them, most of which is probably not based in fact. There are many misconceptions about these automobiles, started mostly by people who simply do not understand them.
Most industry analysts predict the continued growth of gas-electric vehicles, with estimates ranging from 600,000 to 800,000 hybrid sales in the United States by 2013, so this is a good time to debunk the most prevalent myths about hybrid cars. Despite what you may have heard, you do not need to plug them in.
As soon as the word "electricity" is spoken, you think of plugs, cords, and wall sockets. But today's hybrid cars don't need to be plugged in.
Auto engineers have developed an ingenious system known as regenerative braking. Actually, they borrowed the concept from locomotive technology.
Energy usually lost when a vehicle is slowing down or stopping is reclaimed and routed to the hybrid's rechargeable batteries. The gas engine is also used to transfer energy to the batteries.
The process is automatic, so no special requirements are placed on the driver. Ironically, while companies used to spend time and money explaining that hybrids need not be plugged in, a growing number of the major automakers are now introducing plug-in ones and pure electric cars.
The ability to plug one into the electric grid overnight to charge a larger set of batteries would mean that most city driving could be done without burning a single drop of gasoline. Next, their batteries do not need to be replaced.
Worries about an expensive replacement of a battery continue to nag many potential buyers. Those worries are unfounded.
By keeping the charge between 40 percent and 60 percent-never fully charged, yet never fully drained-carmakers have greatly extended the longevity of nickel metal hydride batteries. The standard warranty on batteries and other components is between 80,000 and 100,000 miles, depending on the manufacturer and your location.
But that doesn't mean the batteries will die at 100,000 miles. The U.S. Department of Energy stopped its tests of these battery packs-when the capacity remained almost like new-after 160,000 miles.
These machines are not a new phenomenon. In 1900, American companies produced steam, electric, and gasoline cars in almost equal numbers.
It wasn't long before enterprising engineers figured out that multiple sources of power could be combined. A young Ferdinand Porsche produced the first known hybrid gas-electric prototypes...in 1900.
In 1905 American engineer H. Piper filed the first patent for a gas-electric vehicle. People do not buy these machines to merely save money on gas.
They top the list of the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the road. Going farther on a gallon of gas-and thus reducing a owner's tab at the pump-is a logical advantage of one.
But car shoppers seldom buy based purely on a logical economic equation. Besides, as critics of hybrid technology frequently point out, those savings seldom add up to the extra cost of buying one over a comparable conventional vehicle.
So, if it's not to save money, why are more and more shoppers going this direction? Many reasons: to minimize their impact on the environment, to help reduce the world's addiction to oil, and to earn technology bragging rights.
Despite what you may have heard, they are not extremely expensive. They are currently available in 25 different models ranging in price from $22,000 to $103,000.
The most efficient models are available well below $30,000. By the middle of this decade, more than 50 models are expected.
By that point, they will represent the full range of sizes, shapes, and costs. Rechargeable batteries, electric motors, and sophisticated computer controls do add to the cost of producing one.
However, as production numbers increase, economies of scale are expected to reduce those costs. They are not small or underpowered.
These vehicles prove that adding an electric motor and batteries to the drivetrain does not intrinsically mean diminished performance. Combining a gasoline engine and electric motors gives engineers more control to emphasize fuel parsimony or speed, urban driving or highway cruising, large vehicles or small.
Now that you know the truth about these amazing machines, do some research for yourself. You may just find it is the perfect set of wheels for you!
Author Resource:-
Jack R. Landry is a certified technician and has been repairing broken and cracked windshields since the 80s. He has written hundreds of articles about windshield replacement Provo.
Contact Info:
Jack R. Landry
JackRLandry@gmail.com
http://www.DiamondGlass.com
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