Current
Hybrid Cars: Got Claustrophobia?
by SolveYourProblem.com
Gas
prices have skyrocketed over the course of the last few years.
Due to these incredibly high prices, many people are purchasing
hybrid cars. A vehicle is considered a hybrid when it combines
power sources to increase performance capabilities. In
the case of most current hybrid automobiles, the cars are powered
by both gasoline and an electric motor. There are two types
of hybrid cars. One type is a parallel hybrid. In this type
of vehicle, both the gasoline portion of the engine and the
electric motor are connected to the transmission of the car.
This means the car is able to run off of either power source.
Another type of hybrid vehicle is the series hybrid. In this
type of automobile, the gas powered engine runs a generator.
The generator powers the electric motor. The electric motor
runs the car. Hybrid cars are quite popular because of fuel
efficiency. However, the major drawback to the most fuel efficient
hybrid vehicles is the size of the car.
When dealing with vehicles, the smaller the size of the engine,
the more efficient the vehicle turns out to be. One reason
this is true is that larger engines are heavier than smaller
engines. As a result, when the car goes faster, or tries to
climb a hill, it must use extra power. A small car would use
less power in either of these situations. Additionally, in
a smaller engine, the internal workings of the machine are
lighter. When they move within the engine, they require less
energy than those of a large engine do. Another good reason
for a small engine is cylinder displacement. In a large vehicle,
cylinder displacement is bigger, so the car has to have more
power. Finally, the bigger the engine, the more cylinders it
requires. Since cylinders use power whether the car is running
or not, a smaller engine with fewer cylinders is far more efficient.
Because smaller engines are best to power smaller vehicles,
hybrid manufactures have tried to stay with smaller cars.
One of the smallest hybrid vehicles is the Honda Insight.
The Insight is a two door vehicle that seats two people. In
creating this vehicle, Honda believed that owners of this car
would be the type who usually only have one or two people in
the car anyway. To make the car incredibly efficient,
Honda reduced the size as much as possible. That offers the car more
power and more fuel efficiency, which is something most hybrid
owners are searching for. In addition to the small seating
area, they also offer very limited cargo and luggage space.
Again, the thinking here is smaller is better in terms of engine
efficiency. It pays off in terms of gas mileage, but many people
are unhappy with the overall size of the vehicle, which leads
them to purchase cars with regular engines based purely on
interior and cargo space.
The
Toyota Prius is another fairly small hybrid vehicle. This
one, though, offers a bit more space than the Insight. The
Prius features four doors and can fit up to five people, though
that is often seen as a bit of a tight squeeze. It offers a
hatchback type access and slightly more trunk space than the
Insight. The Prius has received a number of awards and honors,
but in terms of the standard family vehicles of today, it still
falls short on interior and exterior room.
Similar
in size the Prius is Honda’s Civic hybrid. It offers
all of the size and cargo space of the traditionally built
Civic. They have attempted to add space compartments in every
possible area to help people feel that it is a roomier car.
Most people, though, still want something larger than the Civic.
Most people are looking for something to replace the family
sport utility vehicle or minivan.
While hybrid sport utility vehicles and minivans are beginning
to make an appearance on the hybrid market, they simply aren’t
worth the extra hassle and price, as the gas mileage is unacceptably
poor for vehicles that cost as much as two to three thousand
dollars more than a traditionally built engine. The bottom
line with hybrid vehicles is that if you’re looking for something
large, you are simply not going to find it with the hybrids
on the market today.
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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