Do Hybrid Cars Live Up To The Hype?

Remember when you filled up your car and didn't bat an eye at the price. Remember when, at the end of the month and money was tight, you could give a convenience store employee five dollars and that was enough gas for the week. Remember when you could buy the biggest and fastest gas guzzler on the market and not wonder if you would be able to afford to fill its tank. If you do remember 'the old days of cheap gas,' you are probably too old to even know about hybrid cars that are all the rage among environmental enthusiasts. What are they anyway? Are they a cross between a car and a motor scooter? No, not at all, they are the car of the future because they consume much less gas.

Hybrid cars are looking more attractive to consumers who are suddenly paying double, triple or more for their gasoline. Gas, which used to be bought as almost an afterthought, has suddenly become a major expense. Sometimes there are waiting lists at dealerships for hybrid cars. Are hybrid cars really the answer? Examining some of the realities of hybrid cars will reveal the truth.

Most hybrid cars are gas-electric hybrids. These hybrids use both a gasoline and an electric motor to propel the car. Both motors are not usually used simultaneously. The gasoline engine of hybrid cars is most efficient at cruising speed and for traveling long distances. The electric engines of hybrid cars are used during tasks that normally waste gas, such as acceleration and idling. The electric motor may sometimes activate to lend extra power to the gas engine.

Hybrid cars use less gasoline simply because their electric motors do some of the work normally done by the gas engine. As seen with gasoline, energy is not free, and the electric motor's batteries must be recharged. Fortunately it is not necessary to plug hybrid cars into an electrical outlet. The gasoline engine performs much of the battery recharging. Just as the engine on an all-gasoline car can recharge its battery, the gas engines of hybrid cars can recharge the batteries of their electric counterparts.

It is estimated that 6% of the gasoline used in a normal car is wasted by braking. It takes lots of gas to get a few thousand pounds of metal up to speed. When slowing or stopping, that forward energy is wasted as friction and heat. A technology in hybrid cars called regenerative braking helps recover that lost energy. This feature slows hybrid cars by turning the electric motor. Turning the electric motor creates electricity, which recharges the batteries.

Hybrid cars generate less pollution. This is generally not the primary reason that consumers buy hybrid cars, but it is a nice side effect. Less gasoline burned means less pollution emitted. It also means less money spent on fuel. That's the real motivation behind buying hybrid cars.

The ideal car would be one that uses no gasoline at all. This suggests an electric car, which are notoriously hard to recharge. The ideal car would also use no fossil fuels to generate the electricity to run the car. The quick recharging electric car would be ideal. It is likely that hybrid cars will continue to develop towards the ideal car that uses no gasoline at all. Hybrid cars are not the final answer, but they are a good start.

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