Hybrid Cars: The Slow Drive To Energy Security Essay

Gasoline powered vehicles are better! No, hybrids are better! Have you heard these two points-of-view? This last election, the question of energy was a part of both party’s platforms. They talked about wind and solar versus coal and oil, and gasoline versus hybrid vehicles. So here we are, the election is over, but the battle between a gasoline powered vehicles versus a hybrid continues. You might know someone who owns a hybrid car. My uncle bought one in 2006 and for him it works great, but he usually just travels back and forth to work. However, my uncle’s needs are not the same as my dad who is a contractor. In the end, you need to weigh the pros and cons before deciding on which vehicle is best for you. After much research,

The market for hybrid cars is changing. There are more providers but due to bad publicity and poor performance, demand is falling.

Another target segment are consumers who are environmentally conscious. Hybrid automobiles pose many benefits that environmentally conscious consumers can appreciate. Hybrid automobiles have better gas mileage, which allows hybrid drivers on average five additional miles per gallon compared to non-hybrid

I know that car makers are producing more electric and hybrids cars than ever. I had the opportunity to experience the popularized hybrid in action. About 5 years ago, my father purchased a Nissan Altima hybrid as gas prices were soaring higher than ever. This car really made an impression on me as it was one of the first cars I drove. I know the differences in functionality that hybrid cars have. Hybrids are equipped with engine shutoffs that activates when speed is reduced or stopped. In my opinion, this feature was frustrating and hard to adapt to. Besides their functionality, I also know

Over the last several years, hybrid vehicles have become very popular. This is because they are environmentally friendly, save on energy costs and are utilizing an alternate source of power to run the vehicle. However, there have been problems reported with these cars and the technology that is utilized. To fully understand what is happening, there will be a focus on the article titled Hybrid Cars 101. This will be accomplished by providing a summary, evaluating key ideas and offering recommendations. Together, these elements will highlight the challenges impacting these cars and possible solutions for dealing with them.

This can be seen by the younger age group that has recently begun purchasing hybrid vehicles. Sales in 2005 of hybrid vehicles only 12.34% were purchased by individuals ages 30-39 and only 9.61% were purchased by individuals ages 20-29; in 2011 12.68% were ages 30-39 and 17.84% were ages 20-29. (Priuschat.com) The increasing attention the younger population places on environmentally friendly and less gas consuming vehicles the more likely corporations are going to spend time and energy devoted towards its research and development. Hybrid cars in themselves have become more and more fuel efficient from a Prius bought in 2005 which provided an EPA estimated 37.2 miles per gallon is in 2011 providing 42.7 miles per gallon. With media attention car manufacturers are increasing what the vehicle can do and making them more and more efficient.

A number of hybrid vehicles have been built and tested since 1980. Some of these vehicles have impressed analysts with their performance and low levels of exhaust and petroleum consumption. Interest in hybrid vehicles jumped in late 1993 with the announcement of funding for

Buying a hybrid isn’t just saving you money on gas but it also keeps our planet clean. “Every time an automobile burns a gallon of gasoline it releases 22 pounds of carbon dioxide. Carbon monoxide is also a damaging greenhouse gas. Cars account for 76 percent of the carbon monoxide in the earth's air. Carbon monoxide affects the bloods total capacity for carrying oxygen to the heart, brain, and other important organs” (CEERT). Fuel efficiency isn’t just a benefit to saving money; it is a major benefit for the health of everybody. Instead of clogging the air with unhealthy and deadly gasses, we can minimize the health issues that are related to the unhealthy atmosphere. Fuel efficiency is one of the main reasons Americans purchase a new car and with technology advancing each day; we see the trial and error of the modern world evolve. By the automobile technology rising, we haven’t just found a solution to our problem but have also created a major problem by polluting the earth.

Concerning hybrid cars, most of them are small unappealing under powered and still dependent on gas, look at Toyota prius or chevy volt or Nissan leaf.

Hybrid car is the one that utilize more than one means to power the vehicle. Toyota started manufacturing hybrid cars decades before, still more people are not interested to buy it. Implementing new technology require hard work and, importantly continuous monitoring and rectifying the draw backs. Toyota need to solve their problems in hybrid cars to increase the sale. This report will discuss about:

A number of hybrid vehicles have been built and tested since 1980. Some of these vehicles have impressed analysts with their performance and low levels of exhaust and petroleum consumption. Interest in hybrid vehicles jumped in late 1993 with the announcement of funding for two major

Automotive hybrid technology became successful in the 1990s when the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius became available. These vehicles have a direct linkage from the internal combustion engine to the driven wheels, so the engine can provide acceleration power. The 2000s saw development of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which can be recharged from the electrical power grid and don't require conventional fuel for short

The first hybrid electric vehicle is developed by Ferdinand Porsche in 1901. The Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid, being the first ever of its kind, makes use of a gasoline powered engine in conjunction with electric generators and motors. In the early 1980’s hybrid vehicles become more advanced through the use of the regenerative brake design. Modern versions of hybrids enter the scene in the late 1990’s with the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. These models suffer a slow start due to high purchase costs and relatively low costs of fuel. As the purchase price of hybrid vehicles decline over the following years and the cost of fossil fuels increase, hybrids have become increasingly popular. Today, the use of hybrid vehicles are continuing to rise and become more popular with the addition of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Plug-in vehicles are able to be charge from an external power source while it is parked, allowing for the batteries to fully charge without the use of the combustion engine.

Figures of different hybrid models will also be included as well as a table comparing the costs of various hybrids to traditionally fuelled cars. This will help the audience get a sense of the price ranges for hybrid vehicles before they go out and decide to buy one. Finally, a table dealing with the performance specs of hybrids will be added to emphasize certain limitations with these models.

Hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight, offer two engines instead of one, a fuel efficient gas engine and an electric engine that produces no emissions. “Hybrids are the most gasoline efficient of all cars—they typically get 48 to 60 miles per gallon (claimed). Not bad, but only about twenty to thirty-five percent better than a fuel efficient gasoline powered vehicle—like the Honda Civic, for example, that gets 36 miles per gallon” (Dunn). In comparison to regular gasoline fueled vehicles, hybrid cars only boast a measly twenty-five percent increase in fuel economy with the standard Honda Civics cutting the closest with an average thirty-six miles per gallon. Although manufacture's miles per gallon boasts great numbers, the actual claimed mileage by drivers is reduced roughly ten