How do gas-electric hybrid cars work? How do they use two power sources?
Depending on the manufacturer, hybrids generally use a gasoline engine to partial drive the vehicle and charge the many batteries in the vehicle. The batteries are used to run the electric motors that provide most of the power for driving the car. The technology is still very expensive, but is steadily decreasing. Both the gas and electric motors are attched to the drivetrain of the car, allowing for both power sources to move the vehicle. The major diffirence is that the alternator/generator in the hybrid cars are a lot more powerful and efficient then a gas only car. Since electric motors produce the most torque near zero RPM (when you accelrate) the gas engine kicks in when you have reached a nominal speed. This reduces pollution, but also decreases overall distance when traveling.
