Hybrid Vehicles

While the Japanese have long held control of the Asian sector of the foreign car market in America, and Korean-made Kias and Hyundais have climbed the hard ladder of respectability to deliver impressive 2007 models, Americans should brace themselves for the introduction of Chinese-made vehicles in the U.S. (potentially by the end of this year).

Chanfeng Motors SUV

continue

Hybrid vehicles’ popularity has sharply grown from a couple of thousands
in early 2000 to close to 300, 000 by the end of 2005. The trend is
rapidly catching with the auto-leasing industry with generous tax credits
and incentives on offer if you go green.

Beginning in 2006, businesses and taxpayers who lease, or purchase, an
environmentally-friendly and fuel-efficient vehicle will be eligible to
claim federal income tax credits worth thousands of dollars. Individual
states also offer generous incentives, including hybrid state tax credits,
new High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes access and discounted thruway tolls
for alternative-fuelled vehicles.
And that’s not all you can save from going green! You can now save on your
parking fees at a number of universities and some auto-insurance companies
are offering insurance discounts for hybrid-vehicle owners nationwide.

continue

Most consumers have heard of hybrid vehicles, but many of them could not explain the definition.  The actual definition of the word “hybrid” is stated as something of mixed origin or composition.  This definition fits today’s hybrid vehicles perfectly.  A hybrid car is a vehicle that has both a gasoline engine and an electric motor.  The gasoline engine is often smaller than in regular vehicles, allowing the electric motor to compensate with energy.  A high-voltage battery charges the electric motor.  Although older hybrid cars need to be “plugged up” when not in use, newer hybrids recharge themselves when not in use.

The interesting thing about a hybrid vehicle is that they can often work on just one of the energy resources; the gasoline engine or the electric motor.  Most drivers operate their hybrid using both resources however, even though they may not know it.

continue