Market experts are of the belief that hybrid cars will form a major chunk of cars in production by 2050. Join us as we assess some facts about hybrid cars to check whether these claims really hold ground.
A hybrid vehicle is one which uses two or more power sources for self-propelled movement. The term hybrid vehicle, or just hybrid, is generally used to refer to hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which feature an internal combustion engine as well as an electric motor.
Hybrid Vehicle Types
- Mild hybrids: In these hybrids, an electric motor and a battery are used to assist the internal combustion engine.
- Full hybrids: In these hybrids, the electric motor and internal combustion engine either work together or independently.
- Plug-in hybrids: In these hybrids, the internal combustion engine works as a backup for the electric system.
Facts About Hybrid Cars Power Source
The source of power in these cars may range from hydrogen and liquid nitrogen to solar power and compressed/liquefied natural gas. With so many options to choose from, you shouldn’t face any difficulty in making a choice. Given below are some facts related to source of power in these vehicles.
- Most hybrid cars use gasoline as their primary source of power. However, they have the ability to switch to electric mode when needed.
- Some hybrids in production today don’t require plug-in charging. They get recharged on their own when the car is in motion.
- If you take efficiency into consideration, hybrid cars are very economical. On an average, these cars boast of a fuel economy of 50 miles per gallon and just use ⅓ of gas used by their conventional counterparts.
- Many people complain that the battery pack in hybrid cars is very costly. What they fail to notice, is that this battery pack comes in 38 modules. In case of a problem, you just need to replace the module which isn’t working, instead of changing the whole battery pack.
At this point of time, wherein we are on a verge of serious oil crisis and oil price is continuously soaring in the international market, hybrid cars do look quite promising alternatives to their conventional counterparts.
Environment Friendly
If you take the various pros and cons of hybrid cars into consideration, you will notice that their low emission factor gives them an edge. Emission by these cars is very low when compared to their conventional counterparts, which means that increasing use of these cars will automatically decrease the levels of pollution and reduce the effects of global warming on the planet. If scientific estimates are to be believed, replacing conventional cars with hybrid variants will help us to reduce emissions by a whopping 90 percent.
However, the entire phase of replacement will take a good amount of time for proper execution. The manufacturers have the option of either adding hybrid technology to existing car models, or completely revamp their vehicles to suit the hybrid technology. This plays an important role in determining the levels of emission in hybrid cars. At present, even reducing emissions by 10 percent would mean a considerable effort on the part of manufacturers as well as users.
More Interesting Facts
If you thought that the above-mentioned information about these cars was fascinating, wait for a minute. Here are some more interesting, but less-known facts about these cars.
- The year 1902 marked the introduction of the first hybrid car in the world, the ‘Mixite’. It was developed by Ferdinand Porshe.
- Almost 95 years later, in 1997, the world witnessed the launch of the first commercial hybrid car in the form of Toyota Prius.
- In a move to promote pollution-free environment, various nations―including the United States―have come up with schemes such as tax rebate and tax credit for people using hybrid cars.
On the basis of these facts, market experts claim that hybrid cars will rule the automobile market in the future. Only time will tell whether that will actually happen, but as of now these cars, with low emissions, great fuel efficiency, and significant financial benefits, do seem to have a promising future.
