Hybrid cars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Hybrid cars - Essay Example The design type of a hybrid car can either be parallel or series. In terms of classification, hybrid cars can be classified into full, mild, and plug-in hybrids. In people’s lives, hybrid cars mean fuel efficiency, reduced global warming as a result of reduced pollution, more power, reliable transportation and a lot more. They have advantages and disadvantages as discussed in this paper. In terms of whether they can replace other cars, hybrid cars can certainly replace other cars, especially due to the fact that the better ones are yet to be invented. Hybrid cars are cars that can use more than one power source. According to Hantula and Voege, â€Å"a hybrid car gets power from both a gasoline engine and an electric motor† (2010, p. 10). Callery explains that â€Å"hybrid cars use electricity to start up and power their engines, switching to gasoline at higher speeds when that fuel is more efficient† (2009, p. 5). It is possible for the gasoline engine and electric motor to work together, but this happens differently for each. Other times in some hybrid cars, only one of them works. When not needed, the engine of a hybrid car is set to shut off. This usually happens in stop-and-go traffic and where there are red lights. In fact this is among the reasons why hybrid cars are termed economical in terms of the amount of gasoline they use, which is far less compared to what traditional cars consume. The other reason is the fact that the gasoline engine of a hybrid car is smaller, since the electric motor also plays a par t in moving the car. Today’s hybrid cars are more advanced, hence do not require plugging in to power in order to recharge them. The large batteries installed in modern hybrid cars get charged as the moves. Hantula and Voege point out that, â€Å"the car may have a generator to make electricity† (2010, p. 11). The gasoline engine powers the generator. At times in some hybrid cars, the electric motor works as a generator. This paper discusses the