To Hybrid or Not To Hybrid!
One of the popular discussions of the day is “How to be Green.” When I say “Green”, I am not talking about eating broccoli and kale. I am talking about how you can personally help clean up the environment and help keep this world safe for future generations.
It is easy to contribute to the “green Cause.” You could simply recycle your trash and/or compost your garbage. You could use your consumer dollars to save trees by purchasing recycled paper products and help save electricity by using energy saving light bulbs for your home and office.
Being an AutoGirl, I am every interested in all the various alternative powered automobiles that are being worked on all over the world. It’s kind of like the race to the moon! Companies are scrambling to create the next new technological breakthrough that will reduce our oil addiction and consumption and that everyone will want to purchase.
The alternative vehicles that you may have heard about being researched toady are: Gasoline-Electric Hybrids, Electric Cars, Clean Diesel, Biodeisel, Grease Cars, Flex Fuel, E85 fuel, Natural Gas, Hydrogen Fuel Cells. Water Cars and the new one I keep hearing about – Compressed Air.
The Gasoline-Electric Hybrid is the most commonly purchased alternative vehicle on the road today. Environmentalists love them because they reduce emissions. 50% for carbon dioxide and 90% carbon monoxide. Drivers who care about fuel economy love them because they are fuel efficient.
What is a Hybrid and How does it Work?
Describing Hybrids is a daunting task, because not all hybrids are created equal. The one thing they all have in common is: Hybrids are motorized by combining the typical gasoline engine with an electric motor powered by batteries. This is where the similarities end.
To simplify the differences I will break them down into Mild Hybrids and Full Hybrids.
A Mild Hybrid is powered by the traditional gasoline engine and the electric motor is on standby alert to provide extra power to the engine when higher speeds are needed. Instead of the engine gulping down the extra gas needed when passing on the highway or accelerating quickly, it would instead use electricity provided by the special batteries to give the extra power needed. This is where the majority of gas savings come in.
Some Mild hybrids also save you gas by shutting off the gasoline engine at stoplights and in stop-and-go traffic. But the battery can only power the vehicle in very short bursts or up to a few miles per hour. The overall fuel savings are only 10-15% and it does not reduce emissions by much.
A Fuel Hybrid is probably what you are thinking of when you hear the word hybrid. In a full hybrid, the gasoline engine and the battery powered electric motor work as partners. They both can supply power to the transmission to move the vehicle. If stopped at a traffic light the gasoline engine will turn off, and when it is time to move forward, the electric motor provides the power for the car to drive around town up to 25 mph. Once over 25 mph the gas engine will automatically take over. This makes full hybrids great for bumper-bumper commuter traffic and stop-and-go city driving. These two driving scenarios are where a full hybrid shines.
Depending on the make and model of the hybrid, the batteries are recharged in a variety of ways. Some recharge when the gasoline engine takes over, others use the electric motor to act as a generator to charge the battery, and then there are some that have a “regenerative braking system.” Every time the brakes are used the electric motor functions as a generator which captures the “kinetic energy,” and converts it to electricity and recharges the battery pack. How cool is that?
One of the main concerns I hear about is: “How long will the expensive hybrid batteries last before they have to be replaced?”
The good news is that the manufacturers are standing behind their products. The typical warranty is for 8 years / 100,000 miles and most of the batteries have gone way beyond the warranty period with out failure and are still running. If after driving a Full Hybrid for 8-9 years and the rest of the car was in great condition, it would be reasonable to invest the money in a new battery. A thousand dollars is cheaper then purchasing a new car. Plus, manufacturers are researching new and improved batteries that could be installed.
At my shop Auto Craftsmen, we have invested in Hybrid training, equipment and tools. We are observing that Hybrids maintenance service and repairs is about the same as that of a conventional car. But, they are different and I highly recommend that if you have a Hybrid, take it to a trained Hybrid Technician or back to the dealer for any kind of service or repair.
Hybrids are so popular that sales have tripled in the last four years in the United States alone, with production expected to double again this year.
Are hybrids worth the price? That is something you will have to answer yourself based on which model you choose, where you live, your driving habits and your desire to help the environment. You can visit www.hybridcars.com for a lot more information.
I feel strongly that the most important aspect of buying a Hybrid is that you will be supporting a new technology that is helping to create a cleaner mode of transportation.
What do you think about Hybrids?
July 7th, 2008 at 8:00 am
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road!