Can someone explain hybrid cars to me, please?

[mousme]

I am Posty McPostalot today!

Here's the deal. I don't understand the concept of hybrid cars, except in the most minimal of ways (they use both electricity and fuel to run: yay!).

So... can someone explain this to me? Or point me to a good web page/resource for them?

Sometime in the not-so-near future, when I move far away from my job, I will likely look into getting one, but only if it makes sense to do so. If I end up spending just as much on gas as I would with a normal car, then it would defeat the purpose of getting a hybrid. Also, maintenance and overall reliabilty/functionality will be a major consideration. If my car spends half the year in the shop, that too will defeat the purpose.

Help?

Comments

[merccom.livejournal.com]

hybrids are stupid.

remember basic physics. every time you convert energy from one form to another you suffer conversion losses and hence become more inefficient.

now thats not to say that hybrids dont get good gas mileage because they do but i've got to wonder what kind of mileage the same car would get running on only gas without all of the extra stuff to make it a hybrid.

also because of they way that hybrids work they dont get as good of mileage on the highway as they do around town.

[karine.livejournal.com]

In a regular car you lose a lot of energy that is being recuperated and converted to electricity in a hybrid. Instead of just wasting the energy that comes from braking, the energy is captured and reused. I don't see that as stupid at all. It's actually a pretty intelligent design. Don't just burn fuel: use power to make go, use brake to make power.

Last statement depends on the type of hybrid you're getting. The Toyota Prius is excellent on gas mileage for highway driving.

Plus, the main reason to get a hybrid is to reduce pollution. If you want a true comparable, check out, for example, the several Honda models that exist in both regular and hybrid modes, like the Civic.

[dizietsma.livejournal.com]

Regular gas cars are less efficient because the driver is constantly making the engine do things that are not as efficient as cruising at 55mph at 3000rpm. Hybrid cars take some of that inefficient stop-start usage away from the gas engine and drive it from the electric engine instead, which is a lot more energy efficient at low speeds. Electrics can also use regenerative braking to turn forward momentum into charge when you slow down the car, something which is completely wasted in a regular gas powered car.