Hybrid Cars

"The future has a way of arriving unannounced." George F. Will.

The car of the future has arrived in a way that most of us have never anticipated. For years, having to deal with rising gas prices and depleting crude oil reserves, it was heard of or only seen as experiments with skeptics not satisfied ever with the results. And now the hybrid cars/vehicles are making a mark across the globe. Hybrid cars are definitely the cars of the future. Hot technology and cool products make the most casual and usual form of transportations nothing less of a miracle. It was a thing of the past when such vehicles were far beyond the reach of the common man. Not that it is easily affordable, but it sure doesn't make as much a hole in a pocket.

A car that doesn't pollute, gives great mileage, uses alternate sources of power, gives great fuel economy, doesn't give away too much noise, energy efficient and much more! Who would not want such a car!

To know it better, let us see what exactly goes into a hybrid car. The web defines hybrid as a vehicle or gas-electric hybrid powered vehicle which uses a mixture of technologies such as internal combustion engines (ICEs), electric motors, gasoline, and batteries. Today's hybrid cars are driven by electric motors powered by both batteries and an ICE. So what happens in a hybrid car is that two sources of energy are used. Cars which use a combination of gasoline or diesel to control the internal-combustion engines and electric batteries or a generator to control electric motors. What happens in a normal car is that it is fueled either by gas or diesel. Alternatively a hybrid uses a variety of mix of gasoline or diesel and electric batteries or a generator. Some of the latest ones also use ethanol fuel, which makes it one of the best choices for creating pollution-less environment.

If we look in to the history of such vehicles which uses two different types of power or energy to run it, a very good example would be the moped. It was called so because it used an engine-motor and a pedal to kick start and run it. And of course there are the electric versions of cars that are used in a few European countries. But the feasibility of having an electric car in a power crisis situation does not speak much of itself.

There are two types of hybrid cars available in the market. One is a series hybrids and the other is parallel hybrids. To delve into the details of these two very briefly, let us what the series design hybrid car does. The energy required to run the car comes from the generator and the surplus energy is used to charge the batteries. Subsequent to using large amounts of power, both the generator and the battery supply it. A parallel hybrid is the more popular vehicle as it connects both the electrical and internal combustion systems to the mechanical transmission.

Apart from these, there are also different other hybrids, like the full hybrid, assist hybrid, fuel cell hybrid, hydraulic hybrid, pneumatic hybrid, plug-in hybrid etc, and many more types to come.

Though there are a variety of hybrid cars, many car manufacturers have ventured and pioneered in making these available like regular other cars. The best thing about this is that they are not exclusive or custom-made. From mid-size cars to compact almost every type of four-wheeler is available in the hybrid models.

Owning one of these could definitely be like owning a piece of heaven, no pollution, fuel economy and great speed. These types of cars are what the pioneer of car designers have always dreamt about. Is this the car of the future, or future of the cars? Or is it just the beginning of the future cars? Or can we simply say the future of the cars has just arrived.