Monday, April 27, 2009

What Are The Two Different Forms Of Hybrid Cars?




Currently, there is a lot of interest in hybrid cars due to the gas prices of recent years. There are two forms of hybrid cars. The first is a parallel hybrid, where there is both a gas and electric supply attached to the transmission of the car and the car is able to use both sources when running. The second is a series hybrid, where the gas portion powers a generator and the generator supplies electricity for the motor to run. These both improve the efficiency of the car, which is why hybrids are favored today. The only drawback for some consumers is the size.

The reason for this is that smaller cars help maintain the efficiency of the car. With a big car the engine is heavier and so when speeding or traveling up an incline, more energy is needed. Further more, because of the size, the hybrid car has an engine that requires less energy to perform its tasks. Then there is the cylinder displacement, which in a large vehicle takes more power. And in terms of cylinders, the smaller hybrid car doesn’t need as many to perform.

The Honda Insight is one of the smallest hybrid cars on the market. It was designed to carry two people. There is hardly any space for cargo or luggage. This design improves the fuel efficiency considerably, but the lack of space is a drawback.

The Toyota Prius has more space than the Insight. It can fit more than four people and the hatchback trunk can carry more cargo or luggage. This design has won Toyota awards and honors but for a family car, today’s consumers are used to having much more room.

Then there is the Honda Civic Hybrid. This car is the same size as a regular Honda Civic. The compartment spaces are maximized as much as possible in this model. Again, for the consumer who is used to driving an SUV or a minivan, this may still be not enough.

And for those consumers, there are some SUV and minivan hybrids available, however they don’t perform well. The efficiency has been compromised by the size. The price tag of these cars is a couple of thousands of dollars more than the regular models so in the end it may not be worth it in terms of gas mileage. So if you are buying a hybrid, it is best to go for the smaller cars and if you are looking for something larger, a hybrid may not be worth it.

About The Author

Jackson Porter is a staff writer at http://www.automobileenthusiast.com and is an occasioanl contributor to several other websites, including http://www.environmental-central.com.

Are Diesel or Hybrid Cars For You?

While everyone is looking to a greener planet, car makers are also doing their best to come out with newer environmentally friendly models. Technological advancement is what is propelling the automotive industry to come out with fuel efficient and zero emission engines, not forgetting the need to search for replaceable energy source as the new alternative power source.

Diesel has been a long time favorite for fuel efficient drivers. With the high compression engine and diesel having higher energy content, it has a potential of pitting against gasoline vehicles in terms of power over efficiency. This can be seen in Audi R10 being a diesel powered car winning the Le Mans 24 hour endurance race consecutively thanks to not having to pop in the pit stop to refuel as frequently as other competitors. Considering the smelly diesel puffs from buses ages ago, it might not be a good choice as an environmentally friendly car.

When we look at hybrid vehicle, we can only look at vehicles with two power sources being slapped together as one. Usually a combination of gasoline engine with an electric motor’s assistance. The green part of a hybrid vehicle is that the car is smart enough to switch off the gasoline engine and make use of the electric motor at certain time, reducing the petrol used. Although the theory sounds flawless, actual efficient driving on a hybrid requires a unique driving style in order to get more miles out of the engine. The promising hybrid vehicles are the topic of discussion these days. Already out there some of the hybrid vehicles such as popular Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, and numerous other common production cars with a ‘Hybrid’ or ‘H’ emblem stuck to the boot. The wonder of a hybrid is the energy balancing capability of both motors present in the car itself. Say for instance the car will use the petrol engine to propel the car from standstill and to a stage where the car is cruising, the electric motor will be driving the car, putting the pistons to rest. This intelligent concept also includes the regenerative braking capability that charges up the car’s battery so that the electric motor can use it for cruising.

On the other hand, diesel powered vehicles still works the same as a combustion engine. The only difference is newer diesel engines delivers higher power and torque rating thanks to technologies such as common rail diesel engines. With torque being the strong point of diesel cars, it needs a low rev to get to the highest torque compared to petrol engines. Take the Mercedes models for an example, with a CDI engine, some with smaller capacity diesel engine outperforms higher capacity petrol cars. The longer cruise range and low emission green engine makes it a selling point too.

Speaking of which, since hybrid vehicles are powered by a combination of electric motor and gasoline engine, why not a turbocharged common rail diesel engine slapped with an electric motor side by side? Diesel hybrids might be on the way soon once car manufacturers figure out how to balance the heavy gadget filled common rail diesel engine together with heavy battery packs to create a better hybrid. As the hybrid makers say, all they need is torque to move the vehicle from standstill – so why not use a diesel engine?
by: Brenda Williams