Hybrid Cars Information Future Green Cars

The goal of the 2010 Honda Insight is to make the best use of the most cost-effective hybrid technology. That means a 40-mpg+ compact car for less than $20,000—a figure designed to undercut the least expensive Toyota Prius by about $2,000. And the 2010 Honda Insight has already racked up independent real-world highway fuel economy tests above 60 miles to the gallon. It goes on sale April 22—Earth Day, 2009.

For the new Insight’s design, Honda uses a shape that’s coming to define hybrid and electric vehicles: a five-door hatchback with a smooth front and a high, abrupt tail. You can add the 2010 Insight to a list of similarly shaped cars that begins with the Toyota Prius and includes the Chevrolet Volt as well. In this case, Honda leans heavily on styling cues from its much-publicized FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle.

The differences between the 2010 Honda Insight and the 2010 Toyota Prius—the vehicle that Honda hopes to knock of its perch as the hybrid leader—can be easily summarized: The Insight is thousands of dollars cheaper, gets comparable fuel economy, has a crisper look and provides a more agile and enjoyable ride. But the Insight is noticeably smaller, especially for passengers in the backseat. You need to sit in both vehicles before deciding if the Insight is the right size for your passengers, not just your pocketbook.

The Insight is smaller than the Prius by 2.5 inches in both length and height, and also has a 6-inch shorter wheelbase. While the Prius is classed as a mid-sized car based on its interior volume, the Insight is a compact. The Prius has a decidedly spaceship-like feel, the Insight is far more conventional looking. The dashboard of the Insight looks like a blending of the Honda Civic and Honda Fit.

Insight EX models add alloy wheels, cruise control, 6-speaker audio system with USB audio interface, steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters, Honda Vehicle Stability Assist and an available Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with Voice Recognition.

Driver Controls and Feedback, For Max MPG

The electronics in the control system let Honda offer what it calls the Eco Assist system, which tells the driver how economically she’s driving by changing the background color of the speedometer. Green means good, blue means you’re a lead-foot. There’s an ECON mode that enhances fuel economy further by resetting the control logic, so the car accelerates more slowly and backs off the gas engine quicker.

The dashboard EcoGuide accumulates data on driving patterns, so hypermiling drivers can analyze their history to improve driving strategies. Honda even shows up to five green leaves in the display—similar to graphics in the Ford Fusion Hybrid—to reward drivers who display the most economical behavior over time.

Squeezing more out of less, the Insight’s electric motor not only moves the car away from rest after the engine has shut down, it can also power the car by itself “when driving on a flat surface at steady speed in the low 30 mph range,” according to Honda.

Honda has worked hard to keep weight down, so the Insight—at 14 feet, 4 inches long—weighs just 2,720 pounds despite the usual complement of airbags, consumer electronics, other “comfort and convenience features”—and that heavy battery pack. Overall, Honda claims the Insight’s IMA system is 19 percent smaller and 28 percent lighter than the previous generation used in the current Honda Civic Hybrid.

And minimalism can produce maximal results. Honda projects that the Insight will get 40 miles per gallon on the city cycle, and 43 on the highway, for a combined mileage of 41 miles per gallon. We think that the final numbers will be higher.

2010 Honda Insight - Key Features

• The 60/40 split rear fold-down seatback lets you create the right balance of people and cargo.
• In addition to displaying exterior temperature, average fuel consumption, and current MPG, the Multi-Information Display also provides feedback on your braking and acceleration to help you drive more efficiently.
• With eight gigabytes of memory and voice recognition, the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with Voice Recognition provides directions using a series of 24 global positioning satellites. Bluetooth-enabled cell phones can do hands-free dialing with up to 50 contacts per phone stored within the system.
• The EX model’s USB Audio Interface can read flash drives loaded with MP3 or WMA files. You can also plug in your compatible iPod to this port, which not only charges the device but also allows it to be controlled using the interface dial on the head unit or steering wheel.
• Standard safety features on all Insights include dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags; front-side airbags with a passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); side curtain airbag system; anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution (EBD); driver- and front-passenger active head restraints and a front body designed to mitigate pedestrian injuries.
• Accessories for the 2010 Insight include: Fog Lights; Body Side Molding; Door Visors; Splash Guards; Front and Rear Underbody Spoiler; Wheel Locks; Auto Day/Night Mirror; Cargo Cover; Cargo Tray; Floor Mats; Leather Steering-Wheel Cover.

2010 Honda Insight - Technology

Under the Insight’s hood is a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine putting out 98 horsepower and 123 lb-ft of torque—obviously tiny for what Honda claims is a five-passenger subcompact. It’s mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which provides infinite ratios to keep the engine operating within its most efficient range. On the upscale EX model, Honda offers paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel that give the driver the experience of a seven-speed gearbox. A CVT doesn’t actually have gears, so the system uses electronics to direct the transmission to up- or downshift in specific ways when a driver hits the paddle.

The hybrid heart of the system is the fifth generation of Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system. The lightweight, ultra-thin electric motor between the engine and transmission puts out 10 kilowatts (13 horsepower). It is powered by a flat nickel-metal-hydride battery pack that sits under the rear deck, just behind the gas tank under the rear seat. The battery holds 0.58 kilowatt-hour of energy—just slightly less than half the 1.3 kilowatt-hours of the current Toyota Prius pack. The Insight battery is recharged with both spare engine power and regenerative braking, and its accelerator connects to an electronic sensor rather than a cable, also known as “drive-by-wire.”

Energy for the motor is stored in the usual nickel metal hydride battery pack. Just as Ford has done with the new Fusion hybrid, Honda has updated the Insight’s battery, making it smaller and lighter. The pack is 28 percent lighter and 19 percent smaller in volume than the Civic pack. It contains 7 modules with a dozen D-size cells each. The power output of the modules is 30 percent greater than the Civic and the pack has a total capacity of 580 Wh. That’s somewhat less than the 869 Wh of the Civic but it’s in keeping with the cost-reduced nature of the Insight. The power electronics, motor ECU and an air cooling system are all integrated with the battery pack. The entire assembly sits below the cargo floor between the rear wheels.

Building On the Insight Tradition

The 2010 Honda Insight is a major improvement from the legacy model. In Sept. 2006, Honda stopped making the old Honda Insight, a teardrop-shaped two-seater that was loved by many happy owners, but also perceived as impractical by mainstream consumers. Despite the old model’s real-world fuel economy of nearly 70 miles per gallon, the company sold fewer than 2,000 Insights in 2005, and fewer than 1,000 units through Sept. 2006 before the company pulled the plug.

The five-door 2010 Insight breathes new life into Honda’s hybrid efforts. It’s the first of several vehicles that Honda will build on a dedicated hybrid platform—the next will be the sporty two-seater CR-Z. The new Insight is expected to sell in relatively high quantities. Honda is targeting annual global sales of 200,000 units per year, with approximately 100,000 in North America. Along with the Civic Hybrid, the new vehicle will be produced at an expanded hybrid vehicle production line at the Suzuka factory in Japan.

Mercedes-Benz has long been known for its diesels. In fact, it introduced the 260D, the world’s first passenger car powered by a diesel engine, back in 1936. But proud of its reputation for advanced technology in general, it has been hedging its bets with hybrids as well.

Gasoline, Or Diesel, Or Hybrid?

At the New York Auto Show in April 2009, it unveiled its latest hybrid project, the 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid. It’s the latest expansion in its ML sport utility line, and it makes the ML the first vehicle in the world to offer gasoline, diesel, and hybrid alternatives.

The three drivetrains return a range of mileage figures. The all-wheel-drive ML350 with a standard gasoline engines gets 15 mpg city / 20 mpg highway, with larger V8 versions doing far worse. As for the green alternatives, the clean diesel ML320 BlueTec delivers 18 mpg city / 24 mpg highway, and now the ML450 Hybrid model tops the list, with 21 mpg city / 24 mpg highway.

The new ML model, built in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is fitted with the Two-Mode Hybrid system jointly developed by General Motors, Daimler, Chrysler, and BMW.

Bigger, Better Battery—And Cooler Too

The Mercedes-Benz version of the Two-Mode system combines a 275-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine and two electric motors. Together, the complete powertrain delivers 335 horsepower and 381 foot-pounds of torque. But Mercedes-Benz has fitted its own, larger nickel-metal-hydride battery pack, which at 2.4 kilowatt-hours is almost half again as large as the packs used in GM’s various Two-Mode hybrids. And Benz uses liquid cooling to keep its pack healthy and the cells operating at best efficiency, complete with a “super chiller” to blast the pack with coolant when the electrical system is under stress—towing a trailer uphill in desert heat, for example.

None of those components comes cheap, though Mercedes-Benz may have more leeway to charge higher prices than more mass-market big SUVs like the Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon twins. But Benz hasn’t released pricing, and most likely won’t do so until the ML450 Hybrid goes on sale this fall.

Like other hybrids, the Two-Mode can move the car at low speeds purely on electric power for short distances. But unlike “single-mode” full hybrids, including the archetypal Toyota Prius, the pair of electrical motors and several gear-sets also provide electrical assist to the gasoline engine at highway speeds—hence the name “Two-Mode.”

Externally, the only difference between the new Hybrid and other MLs is the grille and a slightly domed hood—to clear the power electronics, mounted up front on top of the engine. In an odd transposition, the company’s AMG tuning unit liked the looks of the humped hood so much that it is using that part on its high-performance versions of the ML as well.

During a test drive in Manhattan traffic and up the West Side Highway along the Hudson River, the ML450 Hybrid clearly distinguished itself from the GM Two-Mode sport utilities—even the posh Escalade version. Drivetrain noise is all but imperceptible, and the sound damping (known as NVH by auto engineers, for Noise-Vibration-Harshness) is exemplary.

In fact, most drivers might only figure out that this ML was a hybrid by the engine tone, which like most hybrids doesn’t rise in parallel with road speed. Instead, this hybrid and others sound like cars with continuously variable transmissions—which their hybrid systems simulate by shifting power among the modes and running the engine at its most efficient speeds, taking up the slack with the electric motors.

Simulating An Eight-Speed Automatic

Nonetheless, Benz is concerned that some ML owners might find it unpleasant to experience that disconnect between engine speed and road speed. So, the company developed a “Shift” mode that controls the engine to simulate the behavior of an eight-speed automatic transmission. According to hybrid control systems engineer Konstantin Neiss, using Shift mode imposes about a 3-percent penalty on fuel economy.

The ML450 Hybrid will be one of a pair of hybrids launched for 2010 by Mercedes-Benz. The other is the S400 BlueHybrid, a mild-hybrid version of the large S-Class four-door sedan. Unlike Japanese makers like Toyota and Honda, Mercedes-Benz is using hybrid technology to improve the mileage of its largest, heaviest vehicles—recognizing that upcoming gas-mileage regulations will hit its lineup disproportionately hard.

With the diesel and hybrid ML variants competing head to head, industry analysts will eagerly be watching to see how much wealthy Mercedes-Benz buyers value various levels of mileage, whether hybrids prove more appealing than oil burners and, most importantly, at what price points. It should be a fascinating model year for Mercedes.

Hyundai officially introduced the hybrid version of the Sonata sedan at the 2008 Los Angeles International Auto Show. It will be the automaker’s first production version gas-electric hybrid in the United States. The company previously made noises about entering the hybrid market with subcompact hybrids, but Hyundai’s hybrid plans were indefinitely delayed before getting very far along. The company seems to be back on track. The Sonata Hybrid is due out in 2010.

At the introduction of the Sonata Hybrid, Hyundai also announced that it will be able to achieve a fleet average of 35 miles per gallon by 2015, five years ahead of the timetable for new fuel economy regulations. “We’re taking fuel efficiency higher and faster than any other carmaker. We’re going to pass Toyota and Honda by 2015,” said John Krafcik, president of Hyundai Motor America, in an interview with HybridCars.com.

What about the fuel economy of the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid? HybridCars.com asked a Hyundai spokesperson (who asked not to be named). “Fuel economy should be improved by 20 to 25 percent, but those are not hard numbers,” he said. The current Sonata midsize sedan grants 22 mpg in the city and 32 on the highway. Do the math, and it means that the Hybrid Sonata could achieve combined fuel economy better than 30 miles a gallon. By comparison, the Camry Hybrid beats out the four-cylinder conventional Camry by the same 20 to 25 percent, while the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid manages about a 9 percent gain over its gas-powered counterpart.

The Sonata Hybrid’s Lithium Batteries

Hyundai developed its own homegrown hybrid architecture for use in the Sonata. The technical design, known as a parallel hybrid system, will serve as the foundation for future hybrid drive vehicles introduced by Hyundai. In a parallel hybrid, the wheels are turned by power coming directly from the gasoline engine, the electric motor, or both together, as conditions demand. This approach is similar to the design used by Toyota and Ford.

The more significant innovation is the use of a lithium polymer battery system provided by Hyundai’s battery supplier, LG Chem. According to Hyundai, the lithium batteries deliver the same power as today’s hybrid nickel metal hydride batteries—but with 30 percent less weight, 50 percent less volume and 10 percent greater efficiency.

Despite industry concerns about the price and availability of lithium batteries, Krafcik said it wasn’t a hard decision to make the move to lithium. He admits that Hyundai is late to the hybrid market—the Sonata is about two years away from dealerships—and expressed the desire to demonstrate a leadership position with its first hybrid entry. “We asked ourselves where the technology is going to be in five years,” he said. “And how we can get to that end point ahead of time.”

Nobody knows where fuel prices will be in two years, when the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid goes on sale, but the Sonata Hybrid could match the fuel economy ratings of the most efficient family sedans on the market—for thousands of dollars below the competition. Pricing and many other specs are not yet available.

Hybrid cars are considered to be the car of tomorrow. Because of the benefits it can give you, you will definitely want to get one for your own. In fact, more and more people are now considering selling their conventional car and purchase a hybrid car. So, why is it that more and more people prefer getting a hybrid car instead of a conventional car even if hybrid car retail prices are far more expensive?

The answer to this is that these people are thinking of the long term benefits that a hybrid car can give. With a hybrid car, you can cut fuel consumption in half compared to conventional cars. Hybrid cars will be able to give you maximum fuel efficiency. It will be able to give you far better mileage to the gallon. Just imagine, with a hybrid car, you can get more than 60 miles to the gallon of gasoline.

This is because hybrid cars run on two engines. One is the conventional internal combustion engine that you will find in conventional cars and the other is the electric motor and batteries. Hybrid cars are basically cars that combine electric energy and gasoline energy. By combining these two to power your car, it will run quieter, cleaner and far more efficient than conventional cars. These are the main advantages of hybrid cars.

Another advantage is that you will be able to save more money from tax breaks imposed by the US government to hybrid car users and buyers. If you own a hybrid car, you will be able to enjoy tax breaks. Also, you will be able to enjoy free parking and other incentives that the government imposed on hybrid car owners.

Now that you know about the main pros of the hybrid cars, you also need to know what the cons of hybrid cars are.

People have been purchasing hybrid cars because of the ability of saving a lot of money from fuel consumption. However, the main advantage of hybrid cars, which is the electric motor, is also its downfall. When a hybrid car is involved in an accident it will be difficult for you and the rescuers to get you out of the car because of the dangers of electrocution. Hybrid cars carry large amounts of voltage. When it gets involved in an accident, wires from the battery may tear off and will be potentially dangerous to handle.

Another disadvantage of hybrid cars is that the retail price is higher than conventional cars in the same weight class. However, the hybrid car can counter this disadvantage by allowing consumers to save money in a long term basis. When you look at it in a long term basis, hybrid cars tend to be cheaper than conventional cars. Try and compute the amount of gasoline both cars will consume during its lifetime and add it to the retail price of the car. You will see that the conventional car will tend to be more expensive than hybrid cars when you look at it in a long term basis.

These are the pros and cons of hybrid cars. You can see that it contains more advantages than disadvantages. Most hybrid cars today are now integrated with the latest technology in car safety. So, if you are planning to purchase a car, think hybrid.

Hybrid cars are considered as the car of the future. It is able to effectively conserve fuel and at the same time, it only produces low levels of toxic fumes. Because of these benefits, hybrid cars are now growing in popularity every single day. Many people are now considering getting rid of their conventional cars and purchase a hybrid car to help in cutting fuel consumption cost.

Hybrid cars have two engines for it to effectively conserve fuel consumption. It has the traditional gasoline engine and it also has an electric motor and batteries. The two engines work together in order to cut fuel consumption. With this technology, you will be able to cut fuel usage by more than half. Just imagine, with a hybrid car, you will be able to go more than 60 miles to the gallon. With this kind of savings, hybrid cars are definitely the car of the future.

Hybrid car owners virtually don’t feel the increasing cost in fuel prices. This is the main advantage of the hybrid car. There are other advantages that a hybrid car can give you. Recently, the President of the United States has signed an agreement that hybrid car buyers will be able to enjoy tax incentives. This means that by owning a hybrid car, you will be able to save money on taxes.

There are other benefits that the government imposes on hybrid car owners, such as free parking, and free entry to car pool lanes. Some even offer discounted fees on toll gates.

The braking in hybrid cars is also configured to capture the energy released and uses it to charge the batteries inside the hybrid car. This means that unlike electric cars, hybrid cars don’t actually need to be charged from your home electric outlet.

However, with all the advantages that a hybrid car can give you, there are also disadvantages. The main disadvantage of hybrid cars is that the retail price is quite expensive. Only people who have enough money can purchase hybrid cars. However, the twist in all this is that hybrid cars are actually cheaper when compared to conventional cars in the long run. If you compute the total fuel consumption of both cars, you will actually see that you can save a lot more money on hybrid cars.

The only thing is that hybrid cars are expensive right from the car lot.

Hybrid cars are relatively heavy because of the heavy batteries installed inside the car. This is why hybrid car manufacturers integrates smaller internal combustion engines and are constructed with light materials and should be aerodynamic in order to maximize efficiency. This means that hybrid cars can never really go fast.

Another issue about hybrid cars is that it is very risky in accidents. What makes a hybrid car work effectively is also what makes it risky if it ever gets involved in an accident. This is because hybrid cars stores high amount of voltage in its batteries. This means that there is a high chance of getting electrocuted when you get involved in an accident. This also means that it is relatively difficult for rescuers to get the drivers and passengers out of the hybrid cars because of the dangers of high voltage in the car.

These are the advantages and the disadvantages of hybrid cars. Car manufacturers today are now looking for ways to get rid of the disadvantages of hybrid cars. In the near future, you will see that hybrid cars will be lighter and also contains less risk due to high voltage dangers.

Because of the constant increase in fuel prices, many people are now considering getting rid of their gas guzzling conventional car and are now purchasing a cheaper alternative. Some people purchase cars with smaller engines for fuel efficiency and some people are now thinking of purchasing the car with the latest technology that enables them to cut fuel consumption by half.

These cars are called plug-in hybrid cars. With this car, you will be able to cut fuel consumption by more than half by taking advantage of the hybrid technology that many car manufacturers are now integrating in their new car models. Although plug in hybrid cars have existed for quite some time now, it was only about a few years ago that it was released in the market.

Plug-in hybrid cars are cars that combine the gasoline energy and the electric energy to run or to propel the car. Plug-in hybrid cars will enable you to run your car up to a hundred miles per gallon depending on the engine and the battery installed.

If you think that getting a good mileage per gallon is non existent, think again. With the technology being integrated by car manufacturers in their hybrid vehicles, it is now possible. This vehicle has two engines to run your car. One is the gasoline engine and the other is the electric motor. Just imagine a car that has an extension cord that you can plug-in in your home electricity outlet to recharge. You don’t even to worry about the cost of your electric bill because the recharging will just be equal to less than a dollar per gallon.

Just imagine a car that has two fuel sources. If one runs out, the car will still be able to run. You don’t have to plug in your plug-in hybrid car but if you do, your vehicle becomes an electric vehicle that will be able to run quietly, cleaner, cheaper and more efficient than conventional gasoline powered cars. You have to consider that the gasoline tanks are there for long driving purposes.

However, when you are only driving locally, you don’t need to fill your car with gasoline. All you need to do is plug-in your car to your home’s electric outlet and once it is fully charged, your car will be ready to go using the electric motor.

Imagine the savings that you can get with a plug-in hybrid car.

However, these things are not the only benefits that you can get with plug-in hybrid cars. You will be shocked once you find out about the other benefits that you can get with a hybrid car. If you have a hybrid car, the service cost will tend to be lower because it is mainly electric.

Another great thing about plug-in hybrid cars is that it will be able to power your home in case of power outage. It can act as an electricity generator.

Recently, tax incentives have been imposed by the government to hybrid car buyers. This means that as a buyer of a plug-in hybrid car, you will be able to enjoy tax breaks.

You will also help improve the condition of the environment because it runs on the cleanest energy source available, which is electricity. This means that the car will produce no toxic emissions when it is running on electricity. Also, when it runs on gasoline, the emissions are also very low because of the small size of the gasoline engine.

These are some of the benefits that you can get with plug-in hybrid cars. So, if you think that you are spending too much on gasoline for your gas-guzzling conventional vehicle, you can start saving money by getting a plug-in hybrid car.

Hybrid cars are getting more and more popular today. In fact, more and more people are now purchasing hybrid cars because of a number of reasons. One is that they will enjoy tax incentives as a buyer of a hybrid car, two is that they will be able to save a lot of money from the rising cost of precious, expensive and limited supply of fuel and three, it will enable them to generate less pollution to the environment because of the extremely low toxic emissions generated by hybrid cars.

Because of the growing popularity of hybrid cars, more and more car manufacturers are now competing to produce the best kind of hybrid cars. They are now producing hybrid cars integrated with state-of-the-art technology that will enable consumers to save more on fuel, and also a car that will be able to produce low toxic emissions.

However, because of the growing market for hybrid cars, and also because of more and more car manufacturers that are now integrating hybrid technology in their cars, many people tend to get confused on which hybrid car to purchase. Besides, all car manufacturers promises to offer the best kind of hybrid cars in the market today.

In order to know which hybrid car to purchase, you have to compare them closely for you to know which hybrid car is for you and which hybrid car you can benefit from more. You have to compare some factors of hybrid cars in order to determine which hybrid car is better than the other.

However, before you go on and compare hybrid cars, you first have to know a little something about how hybrid cars work and how you can benefit from it. First of all, hybrid cars use the cleanest and the most efficient source of energy, which is electricity and also gasoline. Hybrid cars are what you can describe as a cross between a conventional gasoline-powered car and an electric-powered car.

It allows you to save fuel and emit lower volumes of toxic fumes because hybrid cars run on electricity when it is idle. What this means is that when you are stuck in traffic, and the hybrid car is running idle, or not in motion, it will automatically switch of the gasoline engine. Therefore, the hybrid car will run purely on electricity. Once you step on the accelerator pedal, it will automatically switch on the gasoline engine again to run the car.

So, now that you know how hybrid cars work and how you can benefit from it, you now have to know how to compare hybrid cars in order to get the right kind of hybrid car for your everyday use.

First of all, you need to determine how you will use the car. If you have a family, it is recommended that you get an SUV hybrid vehicle. This will enable you to carry more passengers. However, you also have to consider that SUV hybrid vehicles can cost a little more than hybrid cars.

The main advantage of a hybrid car is that it is fuel efficient. You have to choose a hybrid car that is the most fuel efficient in order for you to maximize its benefits. You can ask your dealer about the fuel efficiency of the car. They will be able to tell you how much miles a gallon it can save compared to conventional cars and other hybrid cars.

These are the ways on how you can compare hybrid cars in order for you to choose which one to get. Remember all these things and you can be sure that you will be able to get the right kind of hybrid car available in the market today. To start your search, Honda and Toyota are two of the leading companies today that produce affordable and efficient hybrid cars.

Hybrid cars are one of the latest innovations in the auto industry today. It made it possible for people to save a lot of money from the rising cost of fuel and also made it possible for everyone using a hybrid car to help in conserving the cleanliness of the environment. With a hybrid car, you will save a lot of money from the constantly rising gasoline prices and at the same time, help in lessening the pollution level.

Hybrid cars today are getting more and more popular. In fact, more and more people are now considering to get rid of their gas-guzzling conventional car and purchase a hybrid car which they can benefit more from. However, not all people can really see the benefits of hybrid cars. Some people think that hybrid cars tend to be more expensive than conventional cars. But what they don’t see is the long term benefits that a hybrid car can offer.

If you compare hybrid cars to conventional cars, you will see that once you compute the total amount of gasoline you have to use during the car’s lifetime, you will save more on the hybrid car even if it is more expensive in the retail price department.

As you can clearly see, hybrid cars is much more fuel efficient than conventional cars. You may now ask how it works and how hybrid cars are able to achieve fuel efficiency than conventional cars.

First of all, hybrid cars are what you can describe as a cross between a conventional gasoline-powered car and an electric-powered car. It uses both energy sources to run the car and has two engines. One is the gasoline engine and the other is the electricity engine. Hybrid cars operate on fuel when it is running and it runs on electricity when it is idle.

For example, imagine starting up your car in your garage and you forgot something inside your home. Because the car is running idle it will automatically switch off the gasoline engine and activate the electric engine to run your car. After 30 minutes of looking, you finally found that important thing you forgot. During those 30 minutes, you will save gasoline because your car is running on electricity. It will switch back to the gasoline engine once you stepped on the accelerator pedal.

There are two main kinds of hybrid cars existing today. One is the parallel hybrid car and the other is the series hybrid car. In parallel hybrid cars, both the electric motor and batteries, and the gasoline engine are connected to the transmission. This means that both motors will be able to run the car independently and can provide propulsion power.

In the series hybrid car, the gasoline is not connected to the transmission. It is only connected to the generator to charge the battery or to power the electric motor to provide propulsion.

The batteries in hybrid cars are the energy storage device for the electric motors. In hybrid cars, the electric motor is able to draw power from the batteries as well as put energy into them. This means that when the electric motor is running, it can continually recharge the batteries inside the hybrid car.

Today, a hybrid car’s batteries are able to recover power when the brakes are applied. It can also recharge energy generated by the motor.

With all of these benefits, hybrid cars are the cars of the future. It can efficiently save fuel, it can run quietly, it has low toxic fume emissions, and it can also save you a lot of money from huge tax breaks for hybrid car buyers.

he Mercury Mariner Hybrid combines the most robust gas-electric system available today—it will stay in electric mode longer than any competitor—with the body of a stylish yet rugged-looking sport utility. With its mix of digital-era sophistication and creature comforts, the Mariner Hybrid works so well that one wonders whether, if it had been more aggressively marketed since its debut in late 2004, it could have been the hit that the ailing Ford Motor Company so desperately needs.

Does the Mariner Hybrid have the rugged sex appeal of other S.U.V.’s? Is that even possible? Until now, hybrids could hardly be considered babe magnets or or hunk attractors. The comedic actor Will Ferrell, a Prius owner, has said, “In addition to being obviously economical and environmentally friendly, they drive great and are just plain sexy.” He tells jokes for a living.

Consider my brother. Fed up with the cost of feeding a gallon of imported fuel into his Range Rover for every 11 miles driven, he picked up a hybrid crossover utility, a Lexus RX 400h, instead. A year later, the drumbeat of teasing from friends and loved ones—they accused him of driving a girlie car—compelled him to ditch the Lexus and get another Range Rover.

He should have held out for the Mariner Hybrid. Its shape is pugilistic, like the Escape’s. It is square and muscular but has flourishes like accent grilles on the taillights and gauges rimmed in chrome. The Mariner is technically a crossover, but it seems solid and upright like a real S.U.V. Although the ’07 model comes only with all-wheel drive, a front-drive version will be offered for 2008.

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Instrumentation is crucial to the hybrid experience, because the fun of a hybrid is using all available tools to get the maximum mileage. Ford’s system beats Toyota’s hands-down in its ability to stay in all-electric mode for extended periods. The Mariner Hybrid, like the Escape Hybrid, offers an expanded opportunity to use the gas pedal, brake and gears to juggle energy into and out of the rechargeable batteries. Want to get a full charge to the batteries? Accelerate to about 30 m.p.h. and slip the shifter into low (not actually a gear, but a tighter engagement of the motor-generator). How long do you want to stay in E.V. (electric) mode? If you use some Astaire footwork to accelerate slowly and evenly, you can nudge the Mariner to 30 m.p.h. without using a drop of gas. If you slip out of E.V. mode at speeds as high as 40 m.p.h., and your battery is adequately charged, you can give the brake two quick taps and slip right back into E.V. mode.

Certainly, few hybrid owners will take the time to learn all the tricks, but even the most absent-minded motorists are constantly reminded that they are piloting some seriously geeky-cool technology. When I employed all the advanced techniques of an experienced hybrid driver, I achieved highway and city mileage in the mid-30’s—not bad for an S.U.V. But when I drove like a fool, overall mileage fell to the mid-20s. The ultimate benefits of hybrid technology—savings at the pump, a poke at OPEC, reduced emissions, whatever—are personal. That gives much more meaning to the Mariner’s ability to stay in all-electric mode longer than any other hybrid. Ford’s engineers outdid Toyota’s in pushing the technology to the limit.

Unfortunately, Ford’s marketing department overlooked the potential of the Mariner Hybrid as a lean, mean, digital-era machismo machine. It made its debut under the same tired green banners and slipped into obscurity almost immediately. True, the Mariner Hybrid hit its sales target without breaking a sweat, but that is an exceedingly modest 2,000 a year. In September, former President Bill Clinton took delivery of a “Presidential Edition” Mariner Hybrid, inspiring this flight of fancy: What if Mr. Clinton was Ford’s hybrid pitchman rather than Kermit the Frog? A suave but serious spokesman might have let the American public see the Mariner Hybrid for what it is: a well-appointed, well-priced S.U.V. with best-in-class fuel economy and groundbreaking technology. It might even have gained recognition as the first great American vehicle of the 21st century.

Consider one simple fact: The Ford Escape Hybrid is the most efficient hybrid SUV on the market. The front-drive Escape Hybrid has government fuel economy ratings of 34 city/31 highway, while the AWD version offers 29 city/27 highway. What else do you need to know, except that the Ford Escape Hybrid offers plenty of space, comfort, and versatility?

For 2009, the Ford Escape Hybrid replaces a 2.3-liter engine with a 2.5—boosting net horsepower from 155 to 177. Ford engineers refined the Escape hybrid’s braking system to allows for better traction and stability control, and a smoother feel to the brakes, previously not incorporated into the hybrid system. Noise and vibrations have been reduced in the process. This is especially evident when the engine shuts off and the vehicle moves into all-electric mode.

Another really nice feature for 2009: A 110-volt AC power outlet now comes standard in the Escape Hybrid.

These upgrades go a long way toward making up any shortcomings in the previous Escape Hybrid. Still, the Ford Escape Hybrid’s extra 300 pounds of weight as compared to the regular gas-powered Escape, gives it a feeling of heaviness. In addition, the Ford Escape Hybrid may not be the ideal choice if battling harsh weather and road conditions are your top priority. Other hybrid SUVs on the market are better suited for off-road travel and towing, although the Ford Escape Hybrid’s ride quality is more than adequate for both commuting and carting the family.

These pet peeves aside, the Ford Escape Hybrid is a capable, versatile, and efficient vehicle—perhaps the most realized expression so far of the combined benefits and capabilities of an SUV, and the fuel parsimony of a hybrid.