Hybrid
vehicles are simply vehicles that use more than one distinct power sources to
move the vehicle. Hybrid vehicles usually refer to hybrid electric vehicles.
These kinds of vehicles can refer to hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) which use
internal combustion different electric motors. To understand the meaning of
hybrid vehicles, it is imperative to comprehend the meaning of the word
"hybrid". Hybrid is defined as anything that is made up of different
parts or components. Simply put, it is a mixture of different things. Thus,
there are different kinds of hybrid vehicles available today.
Kinds
of Hybrid Vehicles
Hybrid
vehicles rely on two different sources of power and it can be divided into
three main types. These include full hybrids, mild hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
However, some other kinds of hybrid vehicles besides the aforementioned kinds
exist. These include muscle hybrids, micro-hybrids, and so forth. These hybrids
differ in their functionalities as well as features.
Usually,
the energy sources that hybrid vehicles rely on are electricity and gasoline.
These are the two major kinds of hybrid vehicles one can often find in the
United States of America. However, in Europe, you can find hybrid vehicles also
relying on gasoline rather than electricity.
Various
technologies are available to make hybrid vehicles possible. Hybrids are
products of advanced technologies. Therefore, hybrid vehicles offer exciting
experiences better than traditional kinds of vehicles. In the hybrid system,
various technologies are being brought together to make it work but usually the
entire process is geared towards ensuring that the electric part of the
drivetrain is made the most of. The major reason for giving attention to the
electric motor is that it offers better efficiency and can be useful in the
present quest to cut down on the emission level of vehicles.
Comparison
of some Hybrid Vehicles
One
of the most unusual kinds of hybrid vehicles is the full hybrid vehicles. Some
top notch vehicles like the Ford hybrid, C-Max Hybrid and so forth can be
classified under this category. Toyota hybrid is also a good example here and
these hybrid vehicles classified as full hybrid share similar characteristics.
Full hybrids are regular hybrid vehicles and interestingly, they are the full
efficient kind of regular hybrids. Top notch technologies are employed in its
entirety hybrid vehicles to make them exceptional. One of the technologies here
is the stop-start technology, also known as the "idle-off" which can
effectively turn off the engine when the car comes to a stop. Another
interesting kind of hybrid that is worth consideration is a mild hybrid. This
kind of hybrid vehicles are not as efficient as full hybrids, but they are
limited to parallel hybrid mode. It has a battery and helper motor that operate
while the gas engine is on and does not fully take over. Examples include Buick
LaCrosse eAssist. Other kinds of hybrid exist besides those above two. These
include plug-in hybrids such as Ford C-Max Energi PHEV, micro and muscle
hybrids and many others.
