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Hybrid Cars and Autos
This section provides access to the cars and
autos
What are Hybrid Cars and Autos
Hybrid Cars
can be defined as vehicles that are powered by
more than one source. HEV is an abbreviated term
for hybrid electric vehicle - this type of
vehicle has one or more electric motors combined
with an internal combustion engine, therefore,
it is using two or more power sources in order
to move the vehicle. Hybrid vehicles do not only
include cars, in fact many different types are
hybrid powered including trains, two wheeled
vehicles such as electric bicycles, scooters and
mopeds, military off road vehicles and ships.
Power
Sources for Hybrid Cars and Autos
There are
different sources of power that can be used to
run hybrid vehicles which may include
electricity, coal or wood combustibles, RESS
which stands for rechargeable energy storage
system, compressed air, radio waves, compressed
or liquefied natural gas, pedalling, rowing,
hydrogen, liquid nitrogen, fuel including petrol
or diesel, solar power, wind power, waste heat
from an internal combustion engine. Petrol
prices have slowly crept up over the years and
this has encouraged car manufacturers to produce
hybrid vehicles as a way of keeping costs down
and producing less emissions.
The First
Electric Hybrid Cars and Autos Produced in the
World
The history
of the hybrid vehicle is very interesting. The
first gasoline electric hybrid car produced in
the world was by Ferdinand Porsche who produced
the Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid in 1901. It
wasn't until the 1990s that car manufacturers
really began the production of hybrids. Toyota
launched the Toyota Prius in 1997 in Japan, and
Honda launched the Honda Insight in 1999.
Towards the late 2000s, car producers became
very interested in the hybrid market as the cost
of fuel rose significantly. It is thought that
hybrid cars and autos will become a future need.
The production of hybrids has been opened and
lead by Toyota Motor Company, Honda Motor Co.
Ltd and the Ford Motor Corporation - with the
majority of hybrid cars and autos being sold
throughout the United States of America.
Plug in
Hybrid Cars and Autos
The PHEV is
an abbreviated name for plug-in hybrid electric
vehicle. This is a vehicle with rechargeable
batteries which is plugged in to be recharged.
These vehicles have an internal combustion
engine and an electric motor. They have a plug
to connect it to an electrical grid. The
combustion engine provides a backup if the
batteries are depleted. Some of these fuel
efficient vehicles have already been produced
including the F3DM PHEV-62 by BYD Auto which was
lauched in 2008 and the Chevrolet Volt by
General Motors. |
