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| English: Toyota Prius C concept hybrid car exhibited at the 2011 Washington Auto Show (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
With the increasing fuel price, it is very important that you have a deep knowledge of efficiently driving a car by regulating the amount of fuel. Firstly, the best car to be used nowadays is a hybrid car. We all know that a hybrid car is a vehicle that uses more than one source of energy for propulsion. All hybrid cars have an internal combustion engine and a fuel tank. Apart from the propulsion from fuel, the car can also be set to be driven using electrical energy. For this reason, the car is also equipped with batteries. Thus the car gains more performance and also better fuel efficiency with the combination of both these modes. Some of the most commonly available and best selling hybrid cars in the market are Toyota Prius, Cardillac Escalade, Chevy Silverado and Ford Fusion.
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| English: Toyota Prius V hybrid car exhibited at the 2011 Washington Auto Show (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
A hybrid car is known to be more efficient when it is driven for long distances. The only disadvantage of the car is that its initial cost is way higher than a normal car with the same power. The rise in initial is due to the installation of dual power modes inside the car.
Here are some basic features and specifications that are to be noted while buying a car.
1. Motor Generator (MG) - The electric motors that are used in a hybrid ca is commonly referred to as MG. The number of motors used in a car varies according to the manufacturers make. Most hybrid cars have two motors while high power cars have three.
2. Start /Stop - This is one of the most important features of a hybrid car. This feature is used for saving fuel while driving in between heavy traffic and towns, where the driving needs to continuously apply and releases brakes. When the driver decelerates the car by applying brakes, the engine automatically stops, and when the driver releases the brakes, the engine automatically starts again. This feature is controlled by the car motor.
3. Regenerative Braking - As the hybrid car has a battery, it has to be charged at intervals by the car itself. This property is carried out by regenerative braking and is carried out by the motor. In any motor, an excess of momentum is always created and this momentum is used for providing the electric power. In normal cars, this momentum is usually wasted in brakes.
4. Electric Drive - The fuel can be fully saved by running the car only in electrical mode. But, this mode can be selected only while driving along straight and non-bumpy roads. It cannot be used in curves and bumpy roads as the amount of power generated in electrical mode is way less when compared to the fuel mode. Thus, it can be seen as a disadvantage as well, as the car cannot be taken to a speed above a certain limit. The performance of the car in such a mode will greatly depend on the aerodynamic design of the car, the motor section and also on the battery life.
