What is a hybrid car? It is a car that uses two different sources of power to make it run. It generally refers to a car that has two different motors – an electric one and one that is an internal combustion engine. Other types of power have also been used: hydrogen, electricity, and solar. Some people have even developed experimental cars that reuses the oil from fast food places that is used for deep fat frying their foods.
One popular hybrid car is the plug-in electric vehicle. This is where the car runs on a battery that is charged by plugging into an electrical source. For driving around town (at speeds generally below 40 miles per hour), the car uses the battery for power. Then, when travelling at on freeways at higher speeds, the power source switches over to use the internal combustion engine.
Some cars have two completely different fuel systems to run the car. One system uses liquefied petroleum gas and the other uses natural gas.
Several big name car manufacturers have produced hybrid cars. Toyota has a hybrid model of the Prius and the Camry. Honda has the Insight, and Civic. Chevrolet has models of the Silverado, Saturn Vue, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and even the Cadillac Escalade.
There are several benefits of having a hybrid car. These cars generally run cleaner which means they don’t put pollution into the atmosphere. Some of the cars (especially those using batteries) are quieter which makes the ride pleasant. Many of them are more economical because they get better gas mileage and people don’t have to spend as much money on gasoline.