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Hybrid Cars:Are they a good substitute for an all-electric car? Now I know that they may not be as clean as an all-electric powered car but they are a step up from some of the gas guzzlers on the roads today.
Everyone obviously knows the Toyota Prius hybrid car which pretty much kick-started the whole craze, but there are a lot more options available out there for someone interested in taking a small step towards becoming more green. Hybrid cars have even had a whole south park episode dedicated to mocking them, so you know they’re pretty big at the moment! Here are some of the topics that I've decided to look into about them:  History of Hybrid CarThe electric/petrol hybrid car has a long history going back all the way to 1916. Which is a bit of a shock for all of you who thought it just came out of nowhere in the last few years with the prius. Although I have to admit I thought that too! After a while it started to disapear along with the electric car because of the emergence of cheap oil. It wasn't until people started realising the damage that the oil does to the enviroment and the fact that it's a real posibility that we could run out of it that people started looking for alternatives like hybrids again.  Pictures of hybrid carsWhat most people do when they read a review on a car is just look at the pictures so here’s a look at the hybrid cars out now and some of the ones out soon. If we have a review of it just click on the picture and sit back as your knowledge expands.  Hybrid car StatisticsWhat are the real facts and figures behind hybrids? We get told they’re so economical all the time but are they really much better? Many people say that some of the new diesel engines out there now are just as efficient if not more than the hybrids available now. A lot of it really depends on the hybrid though. Some can be big SUV's that didnt get a good mpg in the first place and if you compare that with a tiny diesel car with a modern engine, the hybrid obviously isn't going to be lightyears ahead of it. They certainly do get a much better mpg than another similar car that isn't a hybrid though, so a lot depends on how you look at it.  Plug-in HybridsThese are a step in the right direction from hybrid cars towards all-electric vehicles. Plug-in hybrids give you the option to charge your hybrid from a socket instead of off your engine. Fisker are one company making a name for themselves with their sports car plug-in which should be out soon. The Prius is also supposed to be available as a plug-in in early 2010.  Who makes hybrid cars?There are actually quite a few companies who are making hybrid cars at the moment. Toyota make the prius, Lexus have three different types of hybrids out, Honda is another big company that made the insight hybrid for a while now and even Ford has a hybrid out. Other smaller companies making a big name with their hybrids are Fisker and Aptera.  How do hybrid cars work?We know they’re supposed to be more environmentally friendly and that there’s some electricity in there somewhere but I want to know more, don’t you? Well here are some of the basics: The typical hybrid vehicle like the prius works by using the elctric motor to move when it's going below a certain low speed and when it gets above that the petrol/diesel engine kicks in which recharges the motor too. You can also get another type of hybrid like the soon to come Chevy Volt which works by using the electric motor exclusively until its battery is gone when it's replaced by the petrol/diesel engine which recharges it again.  Hybrid car rentalHybrid rentals are becoming more and more popular with people who want to know more about hybrid cars before they make an expensive decision like buying a car. They are becoming increasingly available from bigger car hire specialists nowadays and there are even car hire companies especially dedicated to hybrids.  I’m still not fully decided on hybrids yet but they do have some advantages .
A hybrid, especially a plug-in, could be a step in the right direction for my family while we wait for one of the many big electric cars supposedly coming out in the next few years.
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