The appeal and popularity of the hybrid car have grown exponentially, especially with the growing concerns about high gas prices as well as worsening air pollution. Here are some useful bits of information that could help you learn more about hybrid cars and how they may help you save money on petrol and be somewhat protected from rising gas.

A hybrid car is the sort of car, or any other vehicle, that makes use of at least two different fuel sources to make it run. Both fuel types are used together sometimes to help drive the vehicle more efficiently. There are several different combinations of hybrid car available, but the most common hybrid car until now is the gas electric hybrid.

The gas-electric hybrid car, also known as the hybrid electric vehicle or HEV, makes use of a gasoline internal combustion engine or ICE and a quite separate electric motor to power it. While the ICE makes uses gas to make it run, an electric battery is used to store the electrical energy that powers the hybrid car's electric motor.

The HEV usually has a gas engine that is smaller in size and weight than the conventional one used in standard gas powered cars. Use of more advanced technology makes this possible and allows the HEV to have better running efficiency as well as substantially reduced polluting emissions.

Apart from the petrol engine, the hybrid electric car also has a special electric motor built in that not only produces added power to the car but also acts as a generator when it is not being used. The electric motor acts as a generator, in situations when it is not being used to drive the hybrid car, to help charge the battery for added efficiency.

In a usual HEV set up, the car uses its electric motor when being driven at very low speeds, say, in traffic jams. The gasoline engine acts as a secondary power source when the HEV requires much more power, such as when climbing a hill. The gas engine also compensates the electric motor with power whenever the car needs it in order to go faster such as when overtaking. The gas and the electric motor can also work in combination at certain instances if necessary.

Because the hybrid electric car uses both an electric motor as well as a gas engine, a substantial improvement in car mileage is achieved. A hybrid electric vehicle or HEV can run longer distances using the same amount of petrol compared to a conventional petrol powered vehicle.

When the electric motor is being used, gas consumption is reduced. This results in quite a bit less petrol being used when going the same distance as a traditional petrol powered vehicle. And because the hybrid electric car has a smaller, lighter petrol engine, the hybrid car also runs more efficiently because of less engine weight compared to a conventional car's engine.

The working components of the hybrid car engine are also smaller and require less energy to move. This efficiency makes the hybrid electric car quite a great option for people concerned with rising petrol prices. Using a hybrid car can help drivers save a substantial amount of petrolwhen traveling. Not only that, using the hybrid car can also help in reducing polluting emissions by using less gas while driving.

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5. The History Of The Hybrid Car