How does Ridek compare with the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV)?
Both are electric vehicles that address the problem of limited range and long charging time. The HEV carries its own electric power generator and the fuel to run it. This makes it more complicated. The HEV is more efficient, and therefore pollutes less, than a conventional fuel-burning car in stop-and-go driving but it is not a zero-emission vehicle and not exceptionally efficient on the freeway. The HEV does not receive energy from the grid. Consequently, it burns oil (in the form of gasoline), most of which is imported. The Ridek receives all its energy from the electricity grid—energy that is not imported. (The USA’s large negative trade balance would become positive if cars did not run on imported fuel.) In a functional sense, the Ridek is also a hybrid: with a battery-operated Modek, it is a zero-emission BEV; with a fuel-burning Modek, it is a fuel-burning vehicle. When it is either one of these, it is not burdened with the complexity of the other. However, the greatest differenc
