Compost Manure

Have you ever asked yourself about hybrid cars? They certainly look stylish and modern, but what is it about them that makes them so different and so extraordinary? After all, most cars look the same these days, do they not? They are all designed by computer to be aerodynamic and aerodynamic is aerodynamic, so they all end up looking indistinguishable to anyone who is not an aficionado.

Well, the fact is that the distinction between a hybrid car and a normal car lies under the bonnet. There are various types of hybrid vehicles as well, but the most common kind has a hybrid electric engine. Therefore, you could say that what makes hybrid cars special from most other, ordinary cars is their engine.

Or engines really, because hybrid electric cars essentially have two engines. One, the internal combustion engine, runs on petrol, LPG or diesel and the other, the electric motor, runs off electricity stored in an array of heavy-duty batteries. On the other hand, ordinary cars only have an internal combustion engine. It is a good idea to examine these two types of engine separately.

First of all the electric motor. Electrical energy is generated by several components on the car and stored in a large bank or array of powerful batteries. The electricity is created by the turning of the internal combustion engine, just as with a standard car, when it is in use, but also by the wheels or / and the car’s braking system. Different models have different methods of generating this electricity, but they are all very hi-tech and very efficient.

When the car’s internal computers decide that the car no longer needs the power of the internal combustion engine, it will turn it off and switch to the electric motor instead. The circumstances where this might happen are, for example, when you are driving slowly in inner-city traffic, when you are cruising at moderate speed on a flat motorway or when you are going down hill. This saves a considerable amount of fuel, which is clearly a great saving to you.

However, there are occasions when you have to have more power than the batteries can supply you, for example, when accelerating hard, when overtaking or when climbing a hill. At times such as these, the electric motor will shut down and the combustion engine will take over and start supplying power to the accelerator and electricity to the batteries. When the requirement for extra power has ceased, the batteries will take over again.

These choices are all taken by the hybrid electric vehicle’s (HEV’s) on board computer system and you will not notice much other that a rush of power or a quietening of the propulsion system. This works very well in most scenarios, but some drivers of HEV’s would like to have a manual override for abnormal circumstances, such as an undulating terrain.

All in all, cars with hybrid electric engines work very well at reducing fuel bills but they are still too dear to be much more than a gimmicky toy and a salve to the conscience for the well-to-do.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on a lot of subjects, but is at present involved with hybrid electric engines. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at New Hybrid Vehicles.

Hybrid cars are on everyone’s lips. Twenty, forty, or fifty dollars for a full tank of gas? Who in their right mind wants to pay that sort of money? However, frustrated, the petrol consumer sighs, but pays up. However, hybrid vehicles are applauded for the small amount of gas they need to operate, and they are being driven off the lots of car dealerships each and everyday in increasing numbers.

However, what about a plug-in hybrid? Most drivers have heard that these cars are great too. So, a person might be asking him or herself, what exactly a plug-in hybrid is? How they work, and what the difference between a plug-in hybrid and a regular hybrid is?

Plug-in hybrids are able to run just on batteries, but they use gas also. These types of hybrid cars share some of the characteristics of hybrid vehicles. They are also are very similar to electric vehicles.

Plug-in hybrid cars must be charged externally by plugging them into an electrical power source. The combustion engine of plug-in hybrid vehicles is engaged only as a back up. These cars can run only on batteries if desired, but it is expected that these kinds of hybrid cars are recharged daily.

Hybrid cars travel just as many miles as a conventional car. Designed to go the extra mile where fuel-mileage is concerned, hybrids can be driven on the highway, in cities, or wherever else a person needs to drive.

On the other hand, plug-in hybrids are designed to be driven commuter-type distances, meaning between twenty and sixty miles between destinations. This way, the plug-in hybrid does not have to use its back up combustion engine, but plug-in hybrids can go further using gas as well.

Hybrids help to minimize pollution, but they still pollute the air. Compared with plug-in hybrids, hybrid cars still have a long way to go as far as pollution is concerned. Since plug-in hybrid cars can run solely on their battery power, they don’t have to emit waste fuel emissions at all.

Plug-in hybrids really do fight against greenhouse gas emissions and plug-in hybrids use virtually no oil, imported or not. Studies have shown that electric hybrids emit at least 67% less greenhouse gases compared with petrol cars. Since the product used to power plug-in hybrids is completely renewable, the difference in greenhouse gas emissions may be even greater than the study determined.

And so there you have it. Those are the main differences between plug-in hybrids and regular hybrid cars. It makes a big difference, but you would be surprised how little that matters at the current moment. And that’s only because plug-in hybrids are not being sold to consumers at this present time. But this article should get you excited about the wonderful plug-in hybrid car, coming soon to a forecourt near you.

And it’s going to be a spectacular debut too, since people already like the current hybrid car models, but they haven’t seen anything yet until they see the new plug-in hybrid cars. However, for now, maybe we should just be satisfied with what we already have, because who knows? Before plug-in hybrid cars are brought out onto the forecourts, something even better might be introduced onto the market.

If you are interested in the working parts of New Hybrid Vehicles, please visit our website at http://new-hybrid-vehicles.com Also published at Hybrid Cars And Plug-In Hybrid Cars.