Hybrid Cars Explained

Lately, there's been a lot of attention on being friendly to the environment and saving money on gas. As we all know, gas prices are soaring for reasons we really don't understand. It's impractical to purchase a Hummer in this kind of situation. In fact, I saw a billboard here in San Antonio that read: Actually, the world DID need another SUV.

Um...actually, we don't.

So there's a solution. It's a little gem of a secret that's been in the minds' clockwork since 1905. We're talking about the Hybrid car. The idea was to combine the great power of electricity with the gas engine. In 1905, gas was so cheap that the idea didn't really take root. Around the hippy-friendly era, gas prices started to rise and become a problem. It was evident that something was to be done because this problem was only going to get worst.

If you have no idea what a hybrid car is, we need to begin with the basics. A hybrid car has two motors. One motor is electric, the other is gasoline powered. Hybrids have a special system installed that transforms 'braking' energy into potential energy that can by used by the car. What is braking energy, you ask? When you hit the brakes on the car (say...to dampen the spirits of a tailgater, for example), the friction causes the car's kinetic energy to be transformed into heat. Approximately thirty percent of engine output is lost due to the braking process during city driving. Hybrids have something that is called 'regenerative braking'. In essence, the car uses its stored momentum to generate electricity. This can be very useful in situations that call for spending precious time at traffic. At least you wouldn't be wasting precious gas in the process.