Are Hybrid Cars The Hottest Trend?
by Gregg Hall Hybrid technology is not new to the world of automobiles. Ferdinand Porsche first introduced hybrid technology in 1899. However, with current pressures regarding pollution and environment concerns setting in, and fuel prices touching a new Honda and Toyota launched their Hybrid car models in 1990. Before we discuss the latest offerings in hybrid cars, let us have an overview of what is the technology behind the hybrid cars. In simple terms, a vehicle that uses a combination of two or more sources of energy to move itself is called a Hybrid vehicle. It can be diesel-electric, nuclear-electric or gasoline-electric. A hybrid car, in present terms, means any car that has a combination of an electric motor and a gasoline (or diesel) engine. The main components of a hybrid vehicle are a gasoline engine, an electric motor, a generator (mostly on series hybrids), fuel storage container, batteries and a transmission. There are two kinds of engines for hybrid cars. The first is a p
