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Gas Electric Hybrids

The term "Hybrid Vehicle" means a vehicle using a combination of at least two sources of power to run a vehicle. In the case of gas-electric hybrids, this means the cars which are using a combination of a conventional gasoline powered engine along with a rechargeable battery to get more mile per gallon. The main benefit of having a conventional power source i.e the gas engine is not having to depend only on battery charge to run the vehicle. The concept of totally electric cars has been around for a long time but they never gained mass popularity due to the fact that they have quite a limited range and frequent charging to be able to run. Thus, gas-electric hybrids fill in the gap by providing better fuel economy and being environmental friendly and not limited by range.

Gas-electric hybrids function by converting the mechanical energy into electrical energy to be used by the car via the batteries. This can be done in several ways. In some vehicles, the kinetic energy of the brakes is used to charge the batteries, whereas some vehicles use the conventional engine itself to run a small generator to charge the battery. Most of these cars also switch off the gas engine when the car is idle and switch back to it when power is demanded. All these features come in handy in the city especially in peak traffic where there are constant stop-start conditions. Suppose you are waiting at a traffic light. The gas engine at this time is the most inefficient. So, instead of wasting fuel the car switches to the electric battery and when you start gaining speed, there is an effortless switch back to the gas engine. This saves quite a lot of fuel without you having to bother while letting you enjoy the ride.

Though these savings may not seem like enough, but it certainly leads to huge savings (and not only in fuel, also when you're getting car insurance quotes. Hybrid vehicles were introduced during the late 1990s and immediately found favour with the public. Among the major manufacturers who have launched gas-electric hybrid vehicles are Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford. Amongst these, the most successful without doubt is the Toyota Prius. Apart from being environmental friendly with the least CO2 emissions, it also gives the highest fuel economy of all vehicles. It is reported to be around 50 on the highway and around 44 under city driving conditions. This is very impressive considering the fact that the Prius is a vehicle that can easily seat upto 5 people and has an engine capacity of 1.5L unlike the small cars which compromise on everything to maximise fuel efficiency.

In today's world, where the oil prices rise without any warning. It was recently that oil prices went shooting past the $100 per barrel mark. In such a case, having a vehicle that provides almost all the benefits of a gasoline powered vehicle but giving much better fuel economy and is also environment friendly is definitely a better deal. This has been recognised in the U.S where the Toyota Prius has been embraced by even celebrities and a long waiting list is present for people who want to pick up a new one. The only catch is that these cars are somewhat more expensive than normal gasoline cars. But the government, it seems, is highly in favour of these vehicles and provides reduction in taxes when you purchase a hybrid. So, do the right thing and invest in a hybrid today!