Wednesday 14 December 2011

Plug-In Hybrid Cars VS Hybrid Cars

By Owen Jones


Hybrid cars are on everyone's minds these days. $20, $30, $40 or even $50 for a tank of petrol? Who really wants to pay that sort of money? But, frustrated, the gas customer sighs, but pays up. However, hybrid vehicles are being richly applauded for the small amount of petrol they need to operate, and they are being driven off the lots of car dealerships each and everyday in ever increasing numbers.

However, what about a plug-in hybrid? Most drivers have heard that these vehicles are fantastic too. Then, a person might be asking him or herself, what exactly a plug-in hybrid is? How they work, and what the difference between a plug-in hybrid and a regular hybrid is?

Plug-in hybrid cars are capable of running just on batteries, but they can also run on fuel also. These kinds of hybrid cars share some of the characteristics of hybrid vehicles. They are also very similar to all-electric vehicles.

Plug-in hybrid cars need to be charged externally by plugging them into an electrical power source. The combustion engine of plug-in hybrid vehicles is used only as a back up. These cars can run only on batteries if desired, but it is expected that these kinds of hybrid cars are recharged daily.

Hybrid cars travel just as many miles as a conventional car. Designed to go the extra mile where gas-mileage is concerned, hybrids can be driven on the highway, in cities, or wherever else a person needs to travel.

On the other hand, plug-in hybrids are designed to be driven commuter-type distances, meaning about twenty to sixty miles between destinations. This way, the plug-in hybrid does not have to use its back up combustion engine, but plug-in hybrids can go further using fuel too.

Hybrids help to minimize pollution, but they still pollute the air. Compared with plug-in hybrids, hybrid cars still have a long way to go where pollution is concerned. Since plug-in hybrid cars can run solely on their battery power, they don't have to emit waste gases. That means that plug-in hybrids don't need to pollute the air.

Plug-in hybrids actually do fight against greenhouse gas emissions and plug-in hybrids use virtually no oil, imported or not. Studies have shown that electric hybrids emit at least 67% less greenhouse gases compared to petrol cars. Since the electric used to power plug-in hybrids is completely renewable, the difference in greenhouse gas emissions may be even greater than the study determined.

And so there you have it. Those are the main differences between plug-in hybrids and regular hybrid cars. It makes a big difference, but you would be surprised how little that matters at the current moment. And that's only because plug-in hybrids are not being marketed to consumers at this present time. But this article should get you excited about the wonderful plug-in hybrid car, coming soon to a forecourt near you.

And it's going to be a great debut too. People already really like regular hybrid cars, but they haven't seen anything until they see the new plug-in hybrid cars. However, for now, maybe they should just be satisfied with what they have, because who knows? Before plug-in hybrid cars come out, something even better might be introduced onto the market.




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