Hybrid Cars In The Early Twenty-First Century

Hybrid Cars In The Early Twenty-First Century
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Owen_Jones]Owen Jones

You would probably be surprised to know that hybrid cars have been with us since the very earliest days of automotive history, yet you will not be astonished to be told that the technology has come on in leaps and bounds for the last ten years. In fact, the technology in hybrid cars has reached the level where fuel consumption in a hybrid can be half that of in a conventional internal combustion engine only car.

Half or even less than half under sure circumstances like driving in town, especially in heavy traffic. In fact, when a hybrid is either cruising on electric or stopping and starting in heavy traffic, there will be no use of petrol or diesel whatsoever, which means that you are travelling 'without cost'.

I put without cost in parentheses because a hybrid vehicle is still substantially dearer than a car with a traditional engine. However, even given the added price of a hybrid vehicle, you can save that excess cost over the average life time of the vehicle because of the saving on fuel. Naturally, the higher the price of fuel, the sooner you will recoup your extra initial outlay on the price of the hybrid.

Maybe you are thinking that hybrid vehicle manufacturers are profiteering on the backs of car drivers who want to do their bit for the environment. Well, you would not be alone in thinking that, yet the price of developing hybrid technology was and still is costly and someone has to pay for it.

That means you and me, the end-users. Well, that is standard, yet in some countries, the government has stepped in to help sponsor individuals who buy a hybrid vehicle, because governments all around the world are under an oath to reduce their country's carbon footprint.

That means that now is as decent a time as any to purchase a hybrid vehicle.

There are other reasons why a hybrid is costly though. The hybrid really has two engines. A hybrid has a traditional engine run on traditional fuels, yet it also has an electric engine which runs off expensive batteries. It is not that you have to replace the batteries as with a radio. The batteries are costly because they are very heavy duty rechargeable units.

The technology for recharging these batteries is also ground-breaking. The car makes use of traditional alternators to recharge them but it also employs braking power to recharge them too. Not just that but the car's on board computer switches between the two motors automatically, depending on the quantity of power that is required by the driver.

Keep an eye on the hybrid car market because prices are declining and together with subsidies, the time to buy a hybrid car might come sooner than you imagine.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a number of topics, but is now involved with how to [http://cartyresforsale.com/compare-tyre-prices.html]compare tyre prices. If you want to know more, please visit our website at [http://cartyresforsale.com]Car Tyres For Sale.