The History and Technology of Hybrid Cars: The past and the Future

Most people love their cars to the extreme, but with the constant skyrocketing of gasoline prices, a lot of people are pressed to think of alternatives. For those who want to cut back on fuel money, they may consider buying hybrid cars.

Hybrid cars are a combination of the features of gasoline-powered vehicles and electric cars. The advantage that hybrid cars hold over conventional cars is that they produce fewer emissions and adds considerable mileage.

But first, where did these cars came from and how are they made?

The very first electric vehicle was created by Robert Anderson from Aberdeen, Scotland in 1839. Later in 1870, Sir David Salomon came up with a vehicle equipped with a lightweight electric motor, along with storage batteries that were much too heavy. Predictably, the speed and the range of the car were not so desirable.

2005 Hybrid Car Models Are The Best

Since its first production commercially in the 1990’s, the number of hybrid cars models had swollen into gargantuan volumes.

In 2004, some 80,000 hybrid vehicles (cars and trucks included) were sold, reaching a some 17 million USD in total sales, in the US alone. In 2005, about 200,000 hybrids cars, with different models, were sold. This singular sale represented the total of 1.2 percent of all cars sold in the US, in the same year. Some authorities believe that that by 2007, some 400,000 hybrid vehicles will be sold in the US.

The Toyota Prius, however, rules supreme over other hybrid car models. With 107,897 units sold for the year 2005, which represented 52% of the total hybrid market, Toyota Prius is currently unbeatable. The next most popular hybrid was the Honda Civic Hybrid, which sold over 25,000 vehicles.

Here’s a look at different models of hybrid cars

Hybrid Cars VS Diesel Powered Cars

Hybrid vehicles boast of an all-encompassing operational system. They operate by combining an electricity-run motor, a diesel engine and maximum-powered batteries. The battery gives off energy for the electric motor and recharges when it recaptures the energy that is usually lost when the car is lessening its acceleration or while it is coasting.

How Hybrid Cars Work

The distinction of the full hybrid from the mild variety is that the electric motor and the diesel engine can operate on its own. In most instances, the electric motor can function by itself in low speed, and once it picks up, the diesel engine automatically takes over. Both the motor and the engine can function together if the car is in hard acceleration.

This combined effort provides the car the power that it needs for that situation. Full hybrid cars can consume and build up electricity simultaneously. The full hybrid setup can be found in models such as the popular Toyota Prius, the Mercury Mariner Hybrid, and the Escape hybrid from Ford.

For instance, one can look at the way the Toyota Prius works. The Prius runs on a technology called the Hyrbid Synergy Drive, which involves a power split device to combine the energy of the electric motor and the gas engine. The HSD enables a effortless switching of power sources that the car driver would not notice in the slightest while driving.

Unlike the other mild hybrid types, the Prius can be operated by the electric motor alone powered by the battery pack. As a result, a motorist can drive silently for short amounts of time. The Honda hybrids on this level cannot function just by the electric motor.