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Almost all of us have come across hybrid vehicles now and then. While many of us have owned a hybrid at some point of time, others have seen friends and relative driving cars that are hybrid. This brings us to the question—What are hybrid cars? Any car or vehicle that combines more than a single source of power can be called a hybrid. Most of the hybrids on the road today combine gas and electricity as sources of power to provide propulsion to the vehicle. While gasoline-electric hybrids are the most common kind of hybrid cars, you may also come across some diesel-electric hybrids very soon. Since you will most probably come across a gas-electric hybrid car, or buy the same if you have to, we will tell you how a gasoline-electric hybrid car works.

The basic principle behind the working of a hybrid car lies in the seamless integration of two sources of power—a gas engine and a high powered battery , both of which provide power for running the electric motor that runs the car. Unlike cars that run on electricity, batteries in hybrid cars do not need to be charged externally. This is because batteries used in hybrid cars charge themselves through energy that is generally lost when a vehicle decelerates or slows down. Instead of letting this energy go waste, hybrid car batteries recapture it to charge themselves.  Since hybrids combine battery power along with the power provided by the gas engine, they tend to save on fuel by giving more miles per gallon of fuel as opposed to cars that run only on fuel. While the main principle behind the working of hybrid cars is the combination of the gas engine with an electric battery, the way in which this combination works varies in different kinds of hybrids.

In some hybrid cars, the electric motor is only used to provide assistance to the propulsion created by the gas engine when extra power is required. However, the electric motor cannot work independently. In these cars, the battery can also not get charged and provide power to the electric motor at the same time, and the two functions have to take place separately. These kinds of hybrid cars are generally referred to as mild hybrids and examples are Honda Civic (2004 and 2005) hybrids and Honda Insight. On the other hand, there are other kinds of hybrid cars where the electric motor, run by the battery can work independent of the gas engine once certain conditions are achieved. In most cases, the electric motor takes over from the combustion engine when the vehicle is cruising at low speeds. The gas engine takes over when more power is required to run at higher speeds. In some cases, both the battery powered electric motor as well as the gas engine work together to provide the necessary propulsion to the vehicle, but this generally happens when the vehicle reaches very high speeds. As opposed to mild hybrids, the battery can both get charged and provide power to the motor simultaneously.  Some examples of full hybrids are the Ford Escape, Toyota Highlander and the Honda Civic (2006 and above) hybrids.

As gasoline prices keep on following a constantly upward trend, every one has started looking for cheaper and better options. While there are some options apart from gasoline engine run cars, the debate about which option is the best among these alternatives shows no chances of dying down. As of now, there are only two main financially viable and somewhat proven alternatives to gasoline cars and these are diesel and hybrid cars. Just like everything else in life, both kinds of cars come with their own positive and negative points, and which one is better depends on a number of factors like who is using the cars and for what purpose etcetera. While the ‘who’s better’ debate lingers on among both car manufacturers and consumers alike, we compare some of the main features of both hybrid and diesel cars.

Mileage: Mileage is the main reason why people are looking for alternatives to gas run cars in the first place. No wonder then, mileage will also be the first thing you will need to consider when you compare diesel and hybrid cars. Most diesel run cars provide mileage that is at least 20% to 40% higher than gas run cars. This means that a gallon of diesel will take you a much larger number of miles than a gallon of gas will. At the same time, hybrid cars are also known to provide fuel efficiency that is at least 20% to 35% higher than gas cars in most cases. However, this has been known to vary a lot when it comes to actual driving and many people claim that consumers get at least 10% less mileage than that claimed by the company. When you put both these facts together with the fact that the price of diesel is much lesser than that of gasoline, you can easily come to the conclusion that running a diesel car is going to be much cheaper than running a hybrid car in most cases.

Price: When it comes to price, both diesel and hybrid cars cost more than regular gasoline vehicles. However, while hybrids can cost anywhere between $3000 to $ 10,000 more than regular gas versions of the same car, diesel cars also do not cost much less, especially when you move towards prestigious brands. Price difference between gas and diesel models generally varies from maker to maker and model to model and there are a large number of cases where a diesel vehicle costs you almost the same or just slightly more than a petrol car with the same features.

Maintenance and Other Costs: Maintenance is one place where diesel generally scores one over hybrids. While diesel cars also require more care and maintenance than gas run cars generally, they have proven themselves to be sturdy, reliable and long lasting. Hybrid cars, on the other hand have not been around for a long enough time to have these things tested. On the other hand, since there are very few hybrids around even now, spare parts and servicing costs more than what you would need to pay for a regular gas or diesel vehicle. Spare parts and service for diesel cars are both cheap and easily available when compared to hybrids. The high costs of batteries and the need to replace them is one more area where hybrids lose one more point to diesel cars.

Environment Friendliness: There is no doubt which car scores way above diesel cars when it comes to polluting less and creating a lesser amount of green house emissions. Diesel cars pollute more than even regular gas cars, while hybrids pollute lesser than gas cars. So if you want to do your bit for mother earth, then a hybrid is what you should go for.

The world is finally waking up to the fact that gasoline is a non renewable source of energy that we all are fast running out of. On the other hand, global warming caused as a result of the burning of fossil fuels is getting to be a major threat for life as we know it. As oil reserves all over the world keep getting depleted and fuel prices rise, everyone is turning towards alternative sources of energy for running their factories, houses and cars. As a result of this, hybrid cars are gaining in popularity, but because of their high costs, they are yet to become a prominent fixture on our roads. People are experimenting with different methods of saving gas, and the best part is that we they have come up with a highly successful method of reducing both gas consumption and pollution.

Cars can now be converted to run on water, and what is more is that these kinds of hybrid cars are much better than conventional battery hybrids since they increase fuel efficiency not just by 20 to 30 percent but by a full 100 per cent. This means that when you convert your car to run on water, it will provide you with a mileage that is just double of what you were getting earlier with a single gas engine. Some people who have converted their cars have reported an even greater increase in mileage. But the best part about converting your car to run on water is not the amount that you save on gas, but the amount of pollution that you reduce. Cars running on water emit lower amounts of harmful pollutants when compared to regular cars. At the same time, it is also known to increase the engine’s life span due to higher efficiency.

One of the most important reasons why cars running on water can provide higher mileages is because this technology makes the engine more efficient. Traditional car engines are able to convert only twenty per cent of total fuel consumed into energy for running the car while the rest is wasted as unburned fuel and heat. This means that the major part of your gas expenses goes towards polluting the environment rather than running your car. When you convert your car to run on water, it results in increasing the efficiency of your car’s engine in burning fuel for energy.

If you want to hybrid your car to run on water, you can easily find a number of companies on the internet who will undertake this task for you. Many web sites are also present that will provide you with free information about how you can hybrid your car yourself. While it is tough to believe that you will actually be able to run your car on water, a large number of people have already taken advantage of this technology and are saving loads of gas money. In most cases, converting your car to run on water will cost you somewhere around $200 or so. The technology or the addition will not affect your engine adversely in any way and if you are not satisfied with the arrangement, you can easily unplug the whole mechanism without harming your car at all.

The hybrid car is till date, the best solution for reducing both pollution created by gas and diesel run vehicles and for reducing total outlay on gasoline per car. Unlike other cars that run on alternative sources of energy, hybrid cars are the only ones that can compete with regular cars when it comes to performance. However, like every good thing in this world, hybrid cars also have their weak points which are generally highlighted by auto critics and reviewers as and when the fancy takes them. There are many advantages associated with hybrid cars. At the same time, there are some other practical and price related details that you should be aware of before you buy a hybrid car.

For one, hybrid cars cost more than regular cars, and the difference in cost varies from three to ten thousand dollars when compared with regular gas cars offering the same features. Hybrid cars generally fall in the price range between twenty and forty thousand dollars, depending upon the model and make. However, you should remember that you can save money spent on buying the car through tax rebates provided on hybrid cars. Right now, the federal government is offering up to approximately $3,500 tax concessions on hybrid cars depending upon how environment friendly the car is. So you can make up for the higher cost of your hybrid through tax savings. On the other hand, you might also be eligible for various state based schemes like free parking and tax rebates depending upon which state you live in.

Another feature that makes hybrid cars the pet cause for complaint with car reviewers is the price of hybrid car batteries. Since batteries installed in hybrid cars have to do much more than what batteries in regular cars have to do, they are generally larger and costlier. Hybrid car batteries can cost you anywhere between two and four thousand dollars, but you have to keep in mind that they have long life span. Most companies guarantee their batteries to last for at least eight years, running between 80,000 to 100,000 miles per year, depending upon your model. If your battery packs up before this, the company will replace it free of cost. Most batteries should outlast their guarantee periods. In case your car battery fails after the guarantee period, you can go for the option of replacing defective modules instead of replacing the whole battery.

One very important feature that attracts people to hybrid cars is the higher mileage per gallon that these cars provide when compared to conventional cars. However, since hybrid cars are costlier than regular ones, it depends on the kind of usage that you put your cars to whether your hybrid turns out to be cost effective or not. Hybrid cars generally provide an increased mileage on city roads as compared to highways, but in both cases, the mileage is higher than gas engine cars. You can end up saving a lot of money with your hybrid car if you live at a place where gas prices are high or are slated to go up, or if you use your car extensively.

A large number of people nowadays are turning towards alternative options to driving conventional gas powered cars, and as a result, hybrid cars are catching a lot of limelight. Hybrid cars or cars that use two or more sources of power to provide propulsion use an electric battery apart from a gas engine to provide running power.  Since it uses more than one source of power apart from gasoline, a hybrid car saves its owners a lot of money that would otherwise be spent on gas. While most people buy or plan to buy hybrid cars in order to save on gasoline, there are many other benefits involved with owning and buying a hybrid car.

Tax Breaks and Benefits: One of the main benefits of buying a hybrid car in 2008 is that hybrid car buyers will be able to avail tax benefits.  While the federal government is offering tax breaks on different hybrid cars till the year 2010 based on the amount of gasoline that they save and their environment friendliness, many states have also started providing tax breaks and other perks like free parking and HOV access etcetera. You can check with local authorities to find out about the tax incentives and perks that you can avail on your hybrid car.

Save Money On Gas: Hybrid cars save their owners a lot of gas money.  Many new hybrids provide a mileage of around 55 to 60 miles per gallon to their owners, while some even increase the mpg by 30 miles per gallon.  Even mild hybrids, where the role of the electric motor is limited save at least 4 to 6 miles per gallon for their owners. With gas prices slated to go up in the future, hybrid cars are a good option for everybody nowadays.

Do Your Bit Against Global Warming and Increasing Pollution: Apart from saving you loads of money that you would otherwise spend on gas with a normal car, the hybrid car also plays its part in saving the planet. Since hybrid cars keep alternating between electric and gas power, they use less gas than conventional cars. At the same time, the car does not produce any harmful emissions when running on electric power, thus cutting down on total emission. Most hybrid cars emit considerably lower amounts of greenhouse gases and cause less pollution when compared to normal cars. This is one of the main reasons why governments all over are encouraging the use of hybrid cars. These cars produce lower levels of noise pollution too, since the gas engine shuts off automatically whenever the car is stationary.

Get Increased Performance: Gone are the days when cars that run on alternative energy sources were slowpokes and rated nowhere on the performance meters. Today’s hybrids like the Lexus GS450h and the Honda Accord Hybrid are cars that combine both sources of power to provide performance par measure to their users.

Using a hybrid car is one of the best ways of doing your share for the earth. Apart from saving gas prices for their owners, hybrid cars also save mother earth from the ravages of pollutants and greenhouse gases. However, many people who want to buy hybrid cars are held back by the high cost of these cars and their low availability. A solution to these problems lies in going for a used hybrid car instead of a new one. Gone are the days when only a couple of companies were making hybrids and these cars were tough to come across. Almost fifteen makers have put their hybrid cars on the market as a result of which, old hybrid users are going in for new ones, putting their used hybrids on the market for sale. Therefore, it has become much easier to find and buy used hybrid vehicles. Keep in mind however, that just like conventional gas and diesel cars; one has to be more cautious when buying a used hybrid car. Some of the things that you should pay attention to when buying a used hybrid car are:

The Vehicle’s History: Getting a used car history through the vehicle’s identification number is advised whenever you are planning to buy a used car. Services like CarFax etcetera can provide ownership and accident details about used vehicles which might prove to be deciding factors when making the final decision to buy or not to buy.

Personal Inspection: Like in the case of all used cars, it is important that you get your hybrid vehicle inspected by a specialist, a mechanic or a used car dealer who deals with such vehicles. Even if you are paying for the service, consider it money well spent since such an inspection is the best way to gauge the actual value of any vehicle.

Mileage: Once again, just like regular cars a hybrid car that has clocked up lesser miles on the odometer is a better buy than one that has done larger distances. This is mainly because the lesser a car has run, the lesser is the wear and tear on components and the lesser will be the money that you spend on it post purchase. At the same time, a car that has run less will also get you better prices if you want to sell it off again. However, keep in mind that mileage is never as important as maintenance, and even a car that has a high mileage but has been maintained well can give you great performance and service. Another kind of mileage that you need to consider in the case of used hybrids is the gas mileage of the car, considering that the major reason for buying a hybrid is the amount of money that you are planning to save on gas.

Battery Life: One of the most important things that you should consider when buying a used hybrid car is the battery life left. While Honda warranties a battery life of 8 years/80,000 miles per year, Toyota car batteries are guaranteed for a period of 8 years/ 100,000 miles per year. While replacing the battery after the warranty has expired can prove to be a costly affair, in most cases, a well maintained car will not need it or can do with replaced modules instead of a whole new battery pack.