Archive for 'Hybrid Cars'
What Makes the Best Hybrid the Best?
Posted on 04. May, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
Do you know which is the best hybrid car? It’s pretty difficult to point at a vehicle and claim that is the best hybrid car? Well, if you really want compare unique car features, let me tell you this is something very difficult to do. Just think about the tough fight in the car industry. Each and every car maker has one important goal in their range of activity, namely to create better green vehicles, and hopefully the best hybrid car.
Several factors indicate the candidates for the title of “best hybrid car” but with an ever changing market, chances are that the first position will not always be occupied by the same model. Fuel consume efficiency, horsepower, price of the car, design and utilities are just a few of the criteria by which to appreciate and give a rating to a hybrid car model.
The care for the fuel consume efficiency of the best hybrid car is justified given the ever growing oil price and the pressure put on the environment by toxic emissions. First of all, the best hybrid car will have the lowest fuel consume. Therefore the best hybrid car, from this perspective at least, should be functioning more on electric power than on gas, and even when the regular engine is in full swing, the average gas need should be lower than that of a regular car.
No matter the engine combination, the best hybrid car should be capable to lead to a gas consume rate that would justify its high initial cost. Some of the best hybrid car materializations, in this line of thought, might be considered Toyota Prius and Honda Civic, the systems of which boost fuel economy by the use of an electric motor to support the gas engine.
Statistically speaking, the size is another factor to differentiate between the aspirants to the title of “best hybrid car”. Thus, you might like to know that the best hybrid car in the small, town-use range, or maybe the mid-size hybrid sedans are more adequate for your needs. Though luxury hybrid cars are far more costly and difficult to maintain, there is a special market segment they address.
The best hybrid car according to personal requirements should be chosen by asking an expert for advice and guidance in this field of green-oriented vehicles. Thus, you should consider the cost of replacing certain equipment items, governmental tax credits, fuel economy, warranty, battery charging system and so on. There are other technical details that also need clarified, but that is the expert’s part.
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The Electric Hybrid Car Revisited
Posted on 02. May, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
An electric hybrid car is a vehicle that runs relying on two system: the conventional one everyone knows using propulsion and the new technology one using energy that is stored and that can be recharged. The aim of such a vehicle is to be economical in terms of fuel consume. The energy storage of the electric hybrid car is superior because more energy can be generated and captured either through the regenerative braking system or through internal combustion and the electrical generator. The energy thus saved gets stored in the battery or is used by the electric motor when in motion. The motor of such a car is much smaller than that of a gas-fueled vehicle and thus, the car is more efficient.
Many users have started recommending the electric hybrid car along with its manufacturers as it is most efficient especially urban use when there are lots of stops and gos. The fuel consume is very much reduced if we were to compare this car with a regular model and this is due to three important systems that are activated. A first function or element in the system is responsible for the reduction of the waste. The second is the system based on which energy is captured through regenerative braking. The third aspect that makes the electric hybrid car more fuel efficient is that it relies on a smaller internal combustion engine while adding power from the electric motor in compensation.
A lower noise level is another major achievement of the electric hybrid car. The battery-powered motor is more silent than the internal combustion one which works great for both us and the environment. However some people do not like this aspect concerning noise reduction believing that it is responsible for more accidents especially among the visually impaired who rely on noise in order to cross a street.
Finally, the electric hybrid car models contribute to reducing gas emissions that pollute our air and our cities. The less pollution, the fewer the cases of lung disease. Going green is a major topic of conversation, but the car industry is far from maximizing its production potential in this respect. The electric hybrid car should be making the rules of our industry and should in time be outrun by superior technologies that eliminate the use of fuel and the release of gas emissions into our atmosphere. We should start considering the electric hybrid car as the more recent ancestor of what the near future holds in store for us.
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The Reality of Hybrid Cars
Posted on 29. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
A hybrid car is a vehicle that uses two or even more distinct sources of power in order to get propelled. Among the power sources for a hybrid car there are gasoline or diesel fuel, on-board or out-board rechargeable energy storage systems (RESS), hydrogen, wind, compressed or liquid natural gas, solar, coal, wood or other solid combustibles, etc. The very concept of hybrid car designates electric vehicles that adapt the usage of an internal combustion engine to that of the electrical batteries.
As mentioned above, there are other hybrid vehicles beside the hybrid car we will mainly deal with here. Just think of mopeds and electric bicycles. These are the rather basic forms of hybrid vehicles. They combine the power from an internal combustion engine or electric motor with the power of the rider’s muscles. The heavy hybrids cover the industrial or supply vehicles such as ships, hydraulic machines, buses, locomotives and so on. Normally, the term hybrid car-vehicle is used to refer to hybrid electric vehicles. This range includes the following types of automotives: AHS2 (Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Silverado, Cadillac Escalade, Saturn Vue), Toyota Prius, Ford Escape Hybrid, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Insight and many others. A gas-electric hybrid car usually takes its power from an internal combustion engine (gasoline or diesel engine) and an electric battery.
The origins of the hybrid car are to be found in the early 1900s when David Arthurs created the first hybrid ever. Besides the hybrid car as mentioned above, which uses two or more different propulsion devices, there are also vehicles which use distinct sources of energy or input types but only one engine. These are also considered by some people to be similar to the hybrid car. Actually the latter should be more appropriately called dual mode vehicles (electric trolleybuses, dual mode buses, flexible-fuel vehicles, etc).
A hybrid car presents a number of advantages from the environmental perspective and there are two sides to consider here. First of all, you get to do something for the environment and humankind, but you also save money on fuel. These two advantages and benefits brought about by the hybrid car are tributary to at least three elements in the design: the combination of gasoline and the electric motors, a battery with plenty of storage capacity and the possibility to re-capture important amounts of energy, which are normally wasted while braking.
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Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Posted on 26. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
Automobiles designed on a combination between traditional propulsion means and alternative energy sources are classified as hybrid electric vehicles most of the time. The manufacturing of such a mixed engine system is justified by the efficiency in terms of fuel consume, in comparison with regular cars. Then, batteries are just used for support, and limited propulsion needs, without requiring any recharging due to the storage and energy renewal system.
Modern times have seen the mass production of hybrid electric vehicles coming from a number of well known car manufacturers. The reasons why many car producers jump on the green bandwagon are varied. Whether there is a genuine interest in saving energy and not using the planet’s energetic sources, or a smart and “caring” way to attract buyers and thus sell more cars, one cannot be certain. Consume can be significantly improved when using hybrid electric vehicles. First, they lower the amount of wasted energy during idle or low input (turning off the ICE); secondly, they collect waste energy (regenerative braking), and thirdly, they reduce the size and power of the ICE and inefficiencies generated by under-utilization.
The batteries that supply the electric motor get charged when you drive around, thus preventing the input necessities. Some hybrid electric vehicles use the internal combustion engine (ICE) to create electricity by spinning an electrical generator (quite often this is a motor-generator) to directly supply the electric motor that drives the vehicle or to recharge the battery. The majority of hybrid electric cars can now cut out the toxic emissions that are exhaled during the idle or restart modes of the engine. The engines of the hybrid electric vehicles are smaller than those of non-hybrid petroleum fuel vehicles. These engines may work at various speeds, thus generating more efficiency.
The making of the hybrid electric vehicles started in the late 1990s and the first ones came from Honda (Honda Insight) and Toyota (Toyota Prius). The history of hybrid electric vehicles is marked by the buyer-oriented policy that aimed at making such cars available to anyone. The future of hybrid electric vehicles is definitely bright, and this is the forecast by some car makers who label hybrid electric vehicles a central segment of the automotive market of the future.
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How the Hybrid Engine Works
Posted on 21. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
What is a hybrid engine? What are the functioning principles of a hybrid engine? The hybrid engine is commonly described as an engine with two complementary sources of energy: thus, on the one hand there is the gas part and on the other, there is an electrical battery that supports the gas system. Through this hybridization, the outcome is less pollution due to the electric component and the high power output of the gas engine. The thing that remains undeniable about the variety of hybrid engine models is that there are as many of them as there are hybrid cars. Taken individually a hybrid engine is created as to enable the gas engine and the electric motor to connect to the drive train so as to power the vehicle and make it move.
How does the hybrid engine work? The technical features on which any hybrid engine depends is quite simple. The hybrid engine works as follows: the gas engine and the brakes are used with the aim to recharge the battery of the electric motor; thus the charging necessity misses, as it would be the case with an electric only motor. When you press the brakes, some of the energy otherwise used to stop the car, is collected by the regenerative brakes in the electric motor.
In the case of a basic full hybrid engine, the electric component will be in use while the vehicle is cruising, when it stops or when you accelerate it slowly. When extra energy or power is necessary, it is the gas engine’s turn to interfere to give the expected acceleration. In the case of the hybrid engine,we will obtain higher mpg than in the gas-only vehicles by allowing the electric motor to take over.
The fact that most of the energy is stored, and to a certain extent saved when the vehicle is stopped or slowed down, makes hybrid vehicles better and more efficient in city driving. Unlike what happens due to hybrid engine vehicles, for the gas-only engine cars, driving is more fuel efficient when going at higher speeds, on the highway. The hybrid engine vehicles not only leave out the need to plug in, but they have also extended the range of technical possibilities. One gets to protect the environment while still taking advantage of all the horsepower of a great car. We could truly say that the making of the hybrid engine represents the first step towards going totally green.
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More Honda Hybrid Vehicles, Including the Insight
Posted on 18. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
Go save the environment! This is one of the most frequent mottos, but the responsible use of the planet’s energy sources is far from being achieved. Car manufacturers have also adopted this “healthy” attitude and most of them have already got involved in green adjustment processes. One of these elements that makes car manufacturers green is that they have adjusted the old models and made new models which are more economic. Thus the hybrid vehicle has become a sort of main goal for many car makers, among which Honda has a top position. Honda has invented a number of hybrid Honda cars. Along the years Honda has brought us different variants of hybrid Honda vehicles like the Honda Insight, the Hybrid Honda Accord and others.
This company will revive its Insight hybrid which is actually its “Prius fighter”, at the Paris motor show this October. This five-seated hybrid Honda design, takes its styling cues from the 2007 Honda FCX Clarity which is car powered by hydrogen fuel cells. According to Honda officials the new Insight hybrid Honda will be cheaper than those of the competitors, owing to the improvements and cost savings made possible through the company’s Integrated Motor Assist hybrid-drive system (IMA). Thus, if the initial Insight hybrid Honda produced between 1999 and 2006 was $50,000, the new hybrid Honda will come for a price between $30,000 and $35,000.
The specificity of the IMA system in the hybrid Honda innovation is the location of the electric engine between the internal combustion engine and the transmission train. Placed in this position, the IMA in the new hybrid Honda plays the role of a starter-motor and engine balancer, also helping the gas engine when in the acceleration mode. The hybrid Honda under discussion here includes technology that allows a very fuel efficient driving. This is obvious a gauge-read-out which shows real-time fuel consume. This gauge in the new hybrid Honda also recommends the best way to make the top number of km out of a tank fuel.
The goal set by the producer consists in selling no less than 500,000 hybrid cars every year. The price of the new hybrid Honda and its presence on the market for selling, though not discussed for Australia yet, has already been set for North America. Honda is speaking with a high degree of confidence about their new hybrid Honda, insisting on the advantages it will have on the market, due to the new stage it represents in the evolution of hybrid technology. The important benefit available with the new hybrid Honda comes from the combination of the more cost-efficient Integrated Motor Assist hybrid technology and the higher level of price accessibility which will definitely impress more customers all over the world.
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Honda Hybrid Cars and Trucks
Posted on 15. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
The development trend and increasing interest in taking care of the environment, and saving the planet’s energy resources by wasting as little as possible has materialized at least in the field of car making. We are talking about the creation of a new type of vehicle: the hybrid. Honda is among the many car manufacturers that have committed to this approach, designing a number of hybrid cars like the Hybrid Honda Accord.
The Hybrid Honda Accord was made between 2005 and 2007 by Sayama, Japan and Marysville, Ohio. The successors of the Hybrid Honda Accord are Honda FCX Clarity and Honda Accord Diesel. The class to which the Hybrid Honda Accord belongs is mid-size. This is actually a 4-door sedan with an FF layout. It has a 3.0L V6 engine and a 5-speed automatic transmission. The other specifics of the Hybrid Honda Accord include the wheelbase of 107.9 in, the length of 189.5 in (in 2005) and 191.1 in (in 2006 - 07), the width of 71.4 in (in 2005) and 71.7 in (in 2006 07), the height of 57.0 in (in 2005) and 57.2 in (in 2006 07). Other vehicles by Honda related to the Hybrid Honda Accord are Honda Accord and Honda Inspire.
The Hybrid Honda Accord is a hybrid combination of the North American Honda Accord which was created in model years starting with 2005 through 2007. The Hybrid Honda Accord followed the other hybrid varieties from Honda: Honda Insight and Honda Civic Hybrid. The third in the line of hybrid Hondas, this Accord variety was valued $3,000 more than the EX V6 model Accord and it maintained the same trim and feature levels, except the 2005 model which did not have the power sunroof. The Hybrid Honda Accord remains at the top of the Honda lineup.
This car presents the same displacement as the regular 7th generation Accord V6 power plant; yet the engine of the Hybrid Honda Accord comes from the Honda Odyssey Minivan model of 2005. The Hybrid Honda Accord allows the user to shut off three out of the six cylinders in order to save fuel, but only under certain conditions. This technology regarding the cylinders is known as Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) and it was
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The Reality of Hybrid SUV’s
Posted on 12. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
It seems that when we say hybrid SUVs we actually make a mistake, as it sounds like an oxymoron. Why is that? SUVs are luxury vehicles and whoever buys one probably has enough money to maintain and fuel it.Even so, with the fuel prices staying so high, we should not be amazed at people’s desire to have more economic vehicles, even though the vehicles under discussion are SUVs. Besides, there is this custom and increase-awareness goal all over the world to make people aware of the importance of our energy resources which we are constantly wasted. Therefore, we should all be concerned about having hybrid vehicles which are more fuel-efficient.
These were the premises for the transformation of the power SUV vehicles in to hybrid SUVs. When you make up your mind to buy hybrid SUVs, you should know that not all of them are costefficient in the long run, which means that you have to do some research before picking up among the diverse hybrid SUVs. To assist you with the choice, analysts at automotive-cost tracking Web site IntelliChoice.com ran a study for CNNMoney.com, in which they analyzed and put side by side projected 5-year ownership costs for hybrid vehicles the average expected costs of which were similar to SUVs. Fuel, financial maintenance efforts and car value depreciation made the major elements of appreciation. Analysts intended to find out whether specific costs measured up to their expectations. There was also a comparison between regular and hybrid SUVS. According to their findings, hybrid SUVs beat the broad expectations by about $4,000.
Among the hybrid SUVs sold on the market at present, we could count certain vehicles like Acura RD-X, BMW X5 Hybrid, Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Equinox, Dodge Durango, Ford Escape, Lexus RZ 400h, Saturn VUE, to mention just a few models. So, as you can see almost all the big automobile companies have become interested in doing something about the environment and finance and have already come up with a number of hybrid SUVs on the market.
How much can hybrid SUVs save in terms of fuel? No one can give clear cut figures as the calculations are quite extensive and the amount differs from vehicle to vehicle, as well as from driver to driver. What we can say is that hybrid SUVs, and hybrid vehicles in general, though heavier, seem to bear their bigger weight better than traditional vehicles, and this is only if we consider the problem of fuel efficiency and costs. In conclusion, if you are interested in hybrid SUVs do not hesitate, but go for them. Hybrid SUVs are worth every penny.
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Available Hybrid Trucks
Posted on 09. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
The international concern about the environment is nothing new. Besides the attempts to preserve the natural habitat unspoiled, people showed more interest in the conservation of the natural resources. Hence important decisions have been made in this direction and researchers, technicians and car producers have combined efforts to create green vehicles or at least to adapt the existing ones to the present ecological needs and legal specifications. A true success was the creation of more varied types of hybrid vehicles. And this is when hybrid trucks come into play. Why should hybrid trucks make the object of our interest? Well, as you know, the transportation of goods relies a lot on big vehicles like trucks all over the world. These big vehicles the hybrid trucks - are huge consumers of fuel and the industry of transportation is equally large.
People are becoming more aware every day of the importance of preserving our environment and not using our energy resources wastefully any more that even owners of businesses in the field of transportation have changed their views and turned to hybrid trucks to comply with the laws and state regulations. Apparently, hybrid trucks represent one of the most popular hybrid searches in the automotive industry. People are eager to get the latest achievements in the hybrid vehicle construction business. People are interested not only in hybrid trucks but also in hybrid electric, diesel and flex fuel pickups, hybrid commercial trucks, freight trucks, semis and many others. All in all, full hybrid trucks make the vehicles of the future. Actually, several models of full hybrid trucks have been launched in 2008, with more to come in 2009 and 2010.
The number of manufacturers involved in the design of hybrid trucks is increasing, and efforts are made in the direction of getting fully electric vehicles. Thus Chevy and GMC have come up with some mild versions of hybrid pickups. Truck drivers will get satisfaction soon when promises made by Toyota, Dodge, Freightliner, International Truck Engine, Eaton and Kenworth will be materialized in the new hybrid trucks to be used. A nice achievement in the making of hybrid trucks is the notable reduction in the noise level besides the energy saving features. Hybrid trucks are silent, cleaner and more reliable to use: all you need to do is get the idea of an investment and get to work!
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Lexus Hybrid Vehicles!
Posted on 04. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
Lexus hybrid engines are the outcome of more than a decade of major scientific efforts and technical changes that finally proved rewarding. The breakthrough Lexus hybrid models include the GS 450h saloon performance, the RX 400h SUV and the LS 600h saloon luxury flagship; all the three designs are a major signal to the car owners community that reduced toxic gases, ride efficiency, high power and fuel advantages are possible in our century. the top design from the Lexus hybrid models is the first kind of car in its category not to mention that it also scores the record as the very first rear wheel drive hybrid automobile. Such a car means little stress on the environment, but even more rewards for person who rides it.
The fuel-powered engine is complemented by a very complex electric engine that ensures the functioning of the car from standstill to instant motion. Though the engine be a 6.0-liter model, Lexus hybrid vehicles prove outstanding by the very low emission range. Besides the environmental advantages that electrical cars represent there are the main outcomes and goal achievements of hybrid and electrical cars in general, and Lexus hybrid models also bring an immense level of comfort that is only specific to luxury cars such as the reclining ottoman or the Shiatsu massage system. The power button in a Lexus hybrid will only open the use of the electric power system, and though you’ll be touching the acceleration, there are very low gas emissions whatsoever.
The main achievement in the design of the Lexus hybrid cars is that the two power sources, electrical and fuel-based are able to work as a unitary system. This is reflected in the way the electronically controlled continuously variable transmission works making gentle acceleration possible without the difficulty of changing gears several times. such a type of transmission device has a highly important influence in the saving energy properties specific to Lexus hybrid cars. Furthermore, the noise level changes to very low levels, you’ll be driving a silent car that doesn’t bother either the occupants or the neighbors.
How long can an electrical battery work properly? This is the main problem for anyone purchasing a Lexus hybrid. The manufacturer claims that the battery is meant for long life usage: it is a 288V Nickel Metal-Hydride device that is located in the rear part of the car so as to make possible a good weight distribution for the overall design of the vehicle. in a nutshell, Lexus hybrid vehicles are more silent and energy saving from acceleration to slowing down. decelerating and you press the break pedal, the engine turns into a generator. The kinetic force that is reduced and lost is captured and transformed into electrical energy that is sent back to the battery recharging it.