When car was first invented, nobody had ever thought about the environmental impact it would make; or about its fuel-effectiveness. But, it is impossible to live with this ignorant notion anymore. The world today is a much different place than it was in the 18th century, when the making of the very first car in the history underwent.
The process of evolution of cars is very fascinating, and advancement in technology has brought great changes in auto industry. When the first car was invented, it was a steam based vehicle. The major developments in auto industry were made when the steam engine was replaced with electric motors. The cars which use the combination of different engines are known as hybrid cars and the first hybrid cars is the German Porsche. Porsche had an internal combustion engine for spinning a generator. As a result of internal combustion, the power was provided to the electric motors placed in the hubs of the wheel. It was designed to travel up to 40 miles with battery alone.
Invention by Porsche laid down the basics of the hybrid cars of today that depend upon two kinds of engines for propulsion power: gasoline and electric engines, or diesel and electric engines.
The cars which are solely based on gasoline, diesel or electric motors have few drawbacks. The major concern caused by the other cars is the environmental vulnerability. The maximum power per pound is provided by fossil fuels; however, since their reserves are few and the prices shoot up quickly, therefore, they are not used for energy production purpose. The hybrid cars are advantageous over the other cars because they are environmental friendly and do not produce pollutants as by-products. Another drawback of using hybrid cars is that it takes a lot of time to recharge; however, its environmental friendliness overcome this shortcoming.
Hybrid car has appeared as a successful car because it offers the combinations of benefits provided by gasoline and electric engines. Moreover, hybrid cars are also more cost effective and their performance is also outstanding. A typical hybrid car has the following major components:
For the gasoline engine, it has a fuel tank An efficient and small gasoline engine ? Electric motor and generator Set of batteries acting as a fuel tank of electric engine Transmission system for turning the wheels
Hybrid cars are of two types including, parallel and series. The difference between the two kinds of car is that the parallel hybrid car can use either an electric motor or gasoline engine for turning the transmission, however, in a series hybrid car, the transmissions to the wheels is generated by electric motors only. The gasoline engine also functions to charge the batteries of electric motor.
Hybrid cars feature efficient engines; small sized, regenerative breaking that makes the electric engine to act as generator; fuel-efficiency; advanced aerodynamics that lowers the drag co-efficient and light weight materials that reduces the weight of the car. The fuel efficiency of the car is brought by periodic engine shut-off. Today, hybrid cars are also entitled as green cars as they are environmental friendly. The advanced technology installed in these cars is incomparable. Therefore, hybrid cars are highly-designed and really competent.
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