Is It Fuel Efficient? That May Not Always Be The Case With A Hybrid
January 7th, 2009

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Hybrid cars have become very popular in recent years. With gas prices ever on the increase, most people are looking for an alternative that will save them at the pump. Others are looking for a vehicle that offers environmental benefits. Hybrid cars work when a gas engine, an electric motor, and a battery system are combined. The battery is continually recharged during the course of a typical driving experience, which is why the car never has to be plugged in for recharge purposes. There are essentially two types of hybrid vehicles.

One type of hybrid car is the hybrid which uses the electric motor for assistance purposes only. In this type of vehicle, the gas engine provides the major power for the car. Moreover, the electric motor cannot function by itself. It can make electricity for the battery or use electricity from the battery, but it cannot do both at the same time. The other type of hybrid car is one which uses both technologies independently. In low speed and low power situations, the electric motor works without the gasoline engine. When the vehicle reaches a higher speed or demands a greater amount of power, the gasoline engine fires up and takes over the task of producing power for the vehicle. If the vehicles requires an increased amount of power, both the gas and electric components of the car can work together to provide the necessary amount of power. Unlike the other kind, this type of hybrid vehicle can make and use electricity at the same time. Despite their popularity, many critics of the vehicles say that hybrids are not always fuel efficient.

For years, hybrids have been considered to be too small and too slow. As a result of the consumer demand for larger, more powerful vehicles, the auto makers increased the size of hybrids. Some small sport utility vehicles can even be purchased as hybrid models on today's auto market. The number of hybrid offerings from auto manufacturers is expected to continue to rise over the course of the next several years. Because of the demand for increased power, the demand for increased fuel efficiency has taken a bit of a backseat.

While the engine is technically capable of being more fuel efficient, most are not because of the increased power and speed both consumers and auto makers are starting to demand from a hybrid vehicle. As the vehicles get heavier and heavier, the fuel efficiency skyrockets on a downward spiral. It takes more power to run a heavier car. That power has to come from somewhere, and in this case, it comes from the gas tank. While hybrids are offering more performance benefits like acceleration, they are also offering less gas mileage. One vehicle, the Honda Accord Hybrid, gets only an extra two miles per gallon of gasoline as compared to its non-hybrid Accord counterpart. Most auto makers see this as a necessary evil. Many believe that if we want hybrid vehicles to fit into the vehicle mainstream, we have to make them competitive with the typical non-hybrid vehicles. They feel it important that hybrids are not associated with a loss of vehicle benefits.

Different models of hybrid vehicles offer different benefits. You can still get fifty to sixty miles per gallon with a hybrid if you want to drive a small two seat type vehicle with limited cargo space like the Honda Insight. However, if you need a light sport utility vehicle to meet your driving needs, and you want to purchase a hybrid, you had better be prepared to sacrifice the gas mileage for more power in the vehicle. The future outlook, though, for hybrids with increased gas mileage and increased power is pretty good. Auto manufacturers like to please everyone as often as possible. As a result, they are continually fine tuning the industry mechanism for change. Over the course of the next several years, it is quite likely that we will see hybrid vehicles that offer everything we want power and fuel efficiency, in light of the ever rising price of a tank of gasoline. For now, though, most people are happy with slightly more efficient vehicles even as prices and waiting lists on hybrids go up

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