Hybrid Vehicles
With gas prices rising significantly every year, we’re finally starting to come around to the idea that we don’t need to drive around 5,000 pound SUVs to get from point A to point B. Now hybrids are all the rage.
While people were skeptical of hybrids at first, they’ve certainly come around. Major hybrid manufacturers like Toyota can’t make enough to keep up with demand and neither can anyone else.
So let’s take a look at what a hybrid is exactly. We all know they’re more fuel efficient, but why? Well, the hybrid has an electric motor (powered by a battery pack) that helps provide power needed with acceleration. The batteries are charging continuously while you drive.
Most “full” hybrids come with a feature called regenerative braking. That means when you slow down that energy is used to charge the batteries.
Hybrids also use a more advanced aerodynamic lightweight body, and combine it with low roll resistant tires that are stiffer and narrower to help reduce drag.
In 2004, out of the 17 million vehicles sold there were around 80,000 hybrid vehicles sold. By 2005 that number had increased by 1.2% to 200,000, and now manufacturers can’t keep up with the demand for these vehicles.
There are several hybrids currently available in North America. They include the Honda Civic, Honda Accord, Honda Insight, Toyota Prius, and the Mercury Mariner. There are also Hybrid SUVs available - the Ford Escape, the Lexas 400H and the Toyota Highlander. Pretty much every manufacturer has at least one entry in this market.
The current king of hybrids lies with the Toyota Prius which has a population over 1 million strong.
Now that consumer support for the hybrids has arrived, auto manufacturers are increasing the pace at which they introduce hybrid models.
If we had a crystal ball that could see into the future, there’s a good chance that what we’d see 20 years down the road would be freeways, highways, and streets that were full of hybrid vehicles. In fact, it’s likely that our gas guzzling vehicles of today are about to go the way of the dinosaur as more hybrid cars make it to market.
Filed under: Vehicles