Any vehicle that can combine two or more methods which can create power to propel it is called a hybrid vehicle. Hybrid cars, which can use both a fossil fuel like diesel or petrol and electricity to power them have recently seen a rise in usage and production due to the increase in fuel prices and the rising awareness about the harmful effects of greenhouse emissions.
Hybrid cars combine small fossil fuel and electric engines which are operated both independently and in tandem to create power to move the vehicle. Electric engines turn off when the car is idling at a red light, thereby saving energy. Electric engines are also very good for use at lower speeds, and in general, inside a city. Fossil fuel engines become useful when the car is being driven at higher speeds. By using both the engines according to the driving conditions, hybrid cars minimise fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse emissions. It has been proven that hybrid cars emit lesser than 50% of greenhouse and other harmful gases compared to traditional cars that use only fossil fuel engines.
While hybrid cars remain expensive compared to traditional cars as they use recently developed technology which is still not used very extensively, they have been able to develop a lot of interest because of their environment friendly, smart and responsible label. Across the United States, many states have recognized the need to incentivize the use of hybrid cars, and have offered free parking to hybrid vehicles. United states has also provided tax incentives on buyers of the first 60,000 hybrid cards yearly by each manufacturer. Many businesses, too, have started giving incentives to people who own or plan to buy hybrid vehicles. For example, Google offers each employee an incentive of $5000 towards buying a hybrid.
It has been argued that buying a smaller car or using a car pool are better ways of cutting emissions or saving fuel. For those who are not quite ready to make the 'compromise', and still wanting to be good to the planet, hybrid cars probably are a good bet.
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ReplyDeletenice one... its good
ReplyDeleteI have questions regarding hybrid electric cars. How do you charge them? Do you need to do that from the electricity of your own house? How much time it takes to charge them up? What kind of infrastructure facilities are required to make usage of electric cars more common? In a country like ours where electricity itself is precious and in rare supply what is the point of running your car on electricity? I don't see it as a viable option in the short term in India.
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