Hybrid Cars - Positive Effect on the Environment
Car manufacturers tout their efficiency. Consumer advocates dispute claims of 60-plus miles per gallon gas efficiency. Amidst the controversy, environmentalists still claim, in the absence of anything better - that hybrid vehicles are still better for the environment than their traditional gas-guzzling counterparts.
Hybrids, known for the way they combine both gas and electric power to offer a cleaner ride, have come under fire in recent months for their inability to reach gas mileage milestones set by the manufacturers. Critics say that most fail to live up to claims of getting more than 60 miles to a single gallon of gas. Advocates argue that recent studies confirm the same is true for efficiency ratings set on traditional engines, still making hybrids the better deal environmentally.
Touted as the gas-saver of the future when introduced in 1999, hybrids are known to use a fraction of the gas due to their ability to "share the burden", with their electric motors. Full hybrid vehicles allow the electric motor to work independently of the more traditional internal combustion engine, while driving at low speeds. This in turn saves gas, and stops harmful emissions from entering the atmosphere. During an idle stop, a full hybrid actually shuts itself off, letting the electric motor take over to eliminate unnecessary idling and emissions.
Consumers should be aware, however, that the mild hybrids focus remains on traditional gas consumption, with the electric motor only assisting the gas engine at high speeds when more power is needed, thus making the mild hybrid much less environmental friendly than its full hybrid counterpart.
Great for in town drivers, the full hybrid allows slow speeding drivers to virtually use only the electric motor, thus saving even more gas, and eliminating harmful emissions into the environment.
Despite any controversy surrounding today's hybrid vehicles, consumers seem eager to do what they can to decrease the harmful effects of emissions on the environment and save a few bucks at the pumps. Production of hybrid vehicles has tripled in the last four years, with production expected to double in 2007. The Yano Research Institute Ltd. estimates that by 2015, nearly 5.37 million hybrid vehicles will be on the global road, compared to less than one million last year.
Manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon, with Honda, Toyota, Ford, Lexus and Chevrolet, all offering their own hybrid varieties. Newer models sport higher-powered and faster models, even making hybrid SUV's and trucks available to the consumer. Of course, the heavier the vehicle, and the faster it rides, the more gas it is bound to use, despite the use and size of the internal electric motor.
Still, hybrids remain the most gas efficient and environmental friendly vehicles in mass production today.
(ArticlesBase SC #119123)
Article Tags:
environment
,Environment Science
,Environment Canada
,Environment Energy
,Environment Pollution
Hybrid Vehicles and New Technologies Improve Gas Mileage
Hybrids are all the rage but we wanted to find out how much they help the environment, if they will really help you save money, and what other good alternatives there are. Cam Stewart, General manager of Honda Cars Of Rock Hill helps us get to the bottom of the issues. (02:53)
Buying a Hybrid
Hybrids get great mileage and help the environment, but are they worth the higher price? (01:55)
The Ford Escape Hybrid SUV
This automotive video shows you the profile of the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV with all it's features. (01:58)
How to Improve Your Gas Mileage: Cruise Control
Want to learn how to improve you gas mileage? Check out Real World Green, reduce your carbon footprint, and get better gas mileage. What's not to like? Visit our Viewer Forum, http://www.green-house.tv Distributed by Tubemogul. (01:50)
Learn More About Greenhouse Gases
Get the facts on greenhouse gas emissions and their impact in the environment. (02:43)
Kitchen cabinets, furniture, perfume, even candles and air fresheners - they can all contribute to the air pollution in our homes.
Biodiesels may be touted as the answer to all of America's energy problems. But are they?
With soaring gas prices, and concerns about the effects fossil fuel use is having on the environment, researchers are scrambling to find alternative fuel options for America's dependence on foreign oil.
Global Warming is a buzzword right now. The experts finally agree: it is happening. But, what does that really mean, and how will it affect our lives?
Global Warming is happening, and it's up to us to stop it. Every time we step into our car to run an errand, or buy take out for supper, we are adding to the affects our world's over consumption of fossil fuels is having on the environment.
Environmentalists love them. Consumers want them, and manufacturers are rushing to get more of them into showrooms. Hybrids are hot and getting hotter.
Hemp is one of the most misunderstood and underutilized plants grown in the world today.
Hard water is common throughout many regions within the UK, however many people do not realise what this can imply to our health and lifestyle.
A Permanent Magnetic Generator is something that we can all use to reduce our energy costs and eventually power our homes for minimal costs compared to what we pay today. With the energy crisis deepening and the cost of fuel rising all the time it is becoming increasingly important that we begin to depend less and less on non-renewable energy sources.
How to build electric fence requires the use of and electric fencer to generate and send electric shock down the line. It is sometimes the only resort to teach a bad fence crawling animal to respect a fence.
Thee is so much more to be known about our universe, our planet, and our energy bodies that we have no time for messing with all the junk that seems to occupy our days- and nights.
Very few of us can live without a mobile device that keeps us connected while on the go, but our cell phones and PDAs contribute to toxic waste and lost resources, especially at the rate with which we upgrade
The recent researches proved the benefic effect of the negative ions over the human health. The negative ions are oxygen molecules that are carrying an excessive negative charge responsible for creating inside the human organism a general state of wellness.
The world is currently passing through a crisis. It is facing serious threats from international terrorism, natural disasters including earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, economic meltdown, ethnic conflicts, and the threat of cancer and AIDS.
Bottled water much maligned as of late has come to the rescue of earthquake victims of Haiti.
For whatever reason - you've bought a brand new motorcycle. Your wife says it has to go or you've just outgrown it - it's time to get your motorcycle out of the garage and sell it to someone who will enjoy its splendor once again.
Living with food allergies isn't as hard as it used to be.
You know how they make you feel (runny nose, itchy eyes, tired and cranky), but what are allergies? An allergy is your immune system's reaction to certain plants, animals, and even foods. When your immune system confuses something in your environment (the allergen) with a bacteria or virus that could make you sick, it attacks!
While the most common way to begin your rose garden is certainly with plants that are about two years old and are already well on their way to flowering, it is also very possible to start a rose garden from seed.
Choosing the right helmet depends a great deal on your own personal taste. Here is a brief rundown of each major helmet style to help you in making your best decision.
Many of us think of a beautiful garden as an almost unattainable goal, and certainly, a rose garden seems even more intimidating. Rose gardening has earned a reputation as being very difficult, a task only the most ambitious gardener with plenty of time on her hands would undertake. In reality, however, rose gardening just takes a little planning, a bit of maintenance and some patience.
The term organic seems to be everywhere these days, from the vegetables in the produce aisle to the cereal we eat in the morning.
Buying the right kind (and the right amount) of motorcycle insurance can appear complicated - but it doesn't have to be! When shopping for insurance, there are three main types of policies to be considered: Liability: Liability insurance is the least expensive policy you can buy, and for good reason. It's basically designed to protect the other guy and his bike - not you or yours.

