Author by : Roger Green

The impact of gas emissions on the global warming is evident. Humanity causes severe weather by a number of ways, including pollution. People have always polluted their surroundings, but throughout much of history, pollution was not a major problem. The warming or “Greenhouse effect” we are now experiencing is a result of carbon dioxide we have dumped into the air. It turns clear, odorless air into hazy, smelly air that harms health, kills plants, and damages property. In general, air pollution and global warming results from pouring hundreds of millions of tons of gases and participates into the atmosphere including the major greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane (CH4), the halocarbons (CFCs) and nitrous oxide. Kyoto protocol (1997) introduced strict laws for car manufactures aimed to reduce the impact of gas emission on global worming (Kyoto Protocol, 2005). Car manufactures have been forced to develop new clear technologies to reduce the level of gas emissions dumped into the air.

How they work?

The technological developments do much to control pollution cased by older technology. Various methods of reducing pollution from automo¬bile engines have been developed recently. Examples include new additives to replace tetraethyl lead in gasoline, and devices to remove pollutants from exhaust and make combustion processes more complete. One more alternative sollution is a hybrid car. A hybrid car combines more sources of power: a rechargeable battery and gasoline. Its full name si the gasoline-electric hybrid car, because it is a mixture of a gasoline-powered car and an electric car.The battery is needed to provide extra acceleration power. “When the car is stopped, hybrid gasoline motors can shut off and run off their electric motor and battery” (Hybrid Cars, 2005). There are two variant of a hybrid car: a parallel hybrid and a series hybrid car. The difference is that a parallel hybrid car consistes of a fuel tank, which supplies gasoline to the engine while in the latter, a generator is turned by the gasoline engine. It can charge the batteries or power an electric motor that drives the transmission (How Hybrid Car Works, 2005). The basic components of a hybrid car include: gasoline engine, fuel tank, electric motor, generator, batteries, and transmission. “Both the engine and the electric motor can turn the transmission at the same time, and the transmission then turns the wheels” (How Hybrid Car Works, 2005).

How they help the Ecosystem and the Environment?

Hybrids innovative technology is an alternative energy solution which help to reduce the risk of global warming. On the one hand, hybrids reduce fuel emissions because the hybrid engine draws on the battery and not gasoline when accelerating. On the other hand, hybrid gasoline motors can shut off when the car is stopped and run off their electricity.

So called “trace gases” make up the remainder of air’s composition, but if cars do not dump CO2 into the air there is no threat of “trace gases”. Most air pollution results from combustion processes. Each time a fuel is burned in a combustion process, some type of pollutant is released into the air, and ruin ozone layer, which protects the Earth from radiation. As a result our atmosphere is heated, and climate becomes warmer. This pollutant forms when moisture in the air com¬bines with nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide released by automobiles, by factories, and by power plants that burn coal or oil. The reaction between the moisture and the chemical compounds produces nitric and sulfuric acids. It also reduces the amount of oxygen that water can hold. The major pollutant is fuel oil, which enters oceans mainly from oil tankers and offshore oil wells. This heated water causes such disasters as tornados and hurricanes. If hybrid technology is introduced, the need in fuel oil will decrease and the negative impact on ecosystem will be minimized.

The Future

The problem is that it is very expensive to produce a hybrid car, and since then Honda has ground production down to near zero. So there is a response to the short-term, but it’s just under whelming (Honda Says , 2005). Years ago, Time Magazine claimed that a majority of Americans were willing to pay 50 cents more (in today’s dollars) for a gallon of gas if it would fight global warming. Today, it is proved that it did not happened (Overview of Vehicle Compatibility, 2005). Roland Hwang a policy analyst and vehicle technology expert said “This shows what we’ve been saying all along is true”, “Auto manufacturers know how to build cars that emit less global warming pollution. The technology exists today. If Honda can do it, so can the Big Three. The only question is when will Detroit put its engineers to work and send its lawyers and lobbyists back home.” (Michaels, 2005). These new Toyota SUV hybrids will use a 3.3-liter V6 engine combined with Toyota’s hybrid powertrain, and according to reports will put out 270 hp. Fuel economy is expected to average around 28 mpg, with a range in excess of 600 miles (Shaver, 2001). The Toyota hybrids will be available in a front- and all-wheel-drive version. The AWD versions will feature two electric motors: one to power the front wheels and the second to power the rear wheels. Thanks to this system of twin motors there will be no driveshaft connecting the transmission and the rear wheels which will have the effect or reducing weight and enhancing interior leg room and comfort. The Highlander Hybrid is expected to be the first seven-passenger hybrid SUV when it goes on sale in early 2005.

It’s impossible to meet Kyoto’s mandates, which start in 2008, but to reduce emission level is not an easy task to solve. But in a time it became apparent that the protocol was wrong. People are increasing their purchases of gas-hogs and buying relatively fewer of the new gas-electric hybrids (Michaels, 2005). Nevertheless, bear in mind the facts mentioned above it would be possible to say that the solution is found. If carmakers change their policy to “green car”, the level of emission will be reduced greatly. But, this problem has social aspects. Americans used to traditional cars because of their safety and power, etc. It will be difficult to persuade them to buy another models of cars.

[tags]hybrid cars, hybrids innovative technology, enviromental problems[/tags]

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Author by : Jonathon Hardcastle

A regular car uses an internal combustion engine with a fuel-air mixture powering it. A hybrid car on the other hand powers itself not only using the conventional means but it also uses a variety of alternate means like fuel-cells and solar-energy to turn the wheels. That makes it more environment friendly and increases its mileage.

Some people think that hybrid cars are the cars of the future. They say it is what we will be driving in a ten years time. It is true that hybrid cars have many advantages. But we must not forget the shortcomings of the hybrid car.

Gas and oil are non renewable sources of energy. They also cause much damage to the environment. There is a danger they might soon also be depleted from the earth. On the other hand, hybrid cars are environment friendly. They source of energy they use is renewable and therefore they pose much less threat to the world. Hybrid cars are efficient and save money on fueling.

Performance wise, hybrid cars are rubbish. At the stage they currently are, they are more than likely to break down after traveling every few miles. If you buy a hybrid car, leave for office an hour earlier than you used to before, because hybrid cars are much slower than normal cars. Because they have very less energy to run with, they are made with as light bodies as possible. We want to protect the environment to protect our children. But if you’re planning to buy them a hybrid car to do so, the chances of them being flattened by some bigger car are far more. So if you want to keep your children safe, why not buy them a Land Rover instead? And then there’s the matter of power again. With the amount of power a hybrid can provide, imagine the trouble and time it would take for you to reach a high altitude point with a fairly steep road, that is, if you would ever manage to get up there on that car.

Whether hybrid cars will be the future of the car industry, one cannot say for sure. But one thing is certain, where it stands today is quite for from a point where it will replace the petrol or gas powered cars.

[tags]Hybrid cars, automotive, cars, car industry[/tags]

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Author by : Holly Odom

There are many reasons why people should drive electric hybrid cars. They are safer for the environment than gasoline engines. They also are more fuel efficient, and cost less money to operate than a gasoline powered car. However, they also cost a little more to purchase than a similar gasoline powered car, and because they are so new it is hard to find any inexpensive used models. They also do not burn less fuel when being operated at highway speeds. Since the biggest consumers of gas and the biggest polluters are tractor-trailers and other commercial vehicles, the use of electric hybrid cars will make only a small dent in cleaning up the environment. It is frequently advertised that electric hybrid cars are good for the environment. This is because they use less gasoline than regular combustion engines. They emit far less pollution than a regular car because at least part of the time they run on electricity which is a much cleaner form of energy than gasoline. If everyone drove an electric hybrid car, the environment would be a much cleaner place. Problems like smog and the hole in the ozone layer could be fixed.

Hybrid cars are also good for the environment not only because they are preventing pollution, but because they are using up less of our natural resources. It has been shown that if we continue to use oil at the rate we are presently using it, it will not be long before there is no oil left. However, with electric hybrid cars we can use less oil. In this way electric hybrid cars conserve our natural resources and prevent an oil shortage from occurring.

Another good reason to drive an electric hybrid car is because they can save their drivers a lot of money. Electric hybrid cars use far less fuel than gasoline powered engines. Their owners save money because they do not need to buy gas as much. The cars produce their own electricity. The cars operate on a combination of gas and electricity. When the motor is being powered by electricity it is not burning gas. Owners of hybrid cars can spend half as much or more on gas as people who own similarly sized gasoline powered cars. This is a very big selling point at this point in time because gas prices keep getting more expensive.

There are several reasons why not everyone is running out and buying electric hybrid cars even though they sound so great. At the present time, these cars cost a little more than similarly sized gasoline cars. For most people, price is very important when it comes to purchasing a vehicle. Many cannot afford to buy a new car, and buy used cars instead. Since electric hybrid cars are a relatively new invention there are very few used ones available, and most of those are not very inexpensive. Right now, there are not many choices available to buyers of hybrid cars. Those who desire minivans, SUVs, or pickup trucks need to buy gasoline powered cars for now until hybrid versions of these vehicles become available.

While it may seem that the use of electric hybrid cars could really clean up the environment, there are a few things that people need to be aware of. At present the hybrid cars that are available are better on gas and better on the environment only when they are being driven in town or at a slower rate of speed. The technology that exists at present has not produced a car than can run solely on electricity at highway speeds. This means that when a hybrid car is driven at sixty miles per hour it is running on gasoline and burning just as much fuel as an ordinary gasoline powered engine. Also the technology has not yet produced a hybrid engine suitable for tractor trailers or other large commercial vehicles which represent some of the biggest polluters and consumers of gas.

If every family owned just one electric hybrid vehicle it could significantly help the environment by creating less pollution and using less gasoline. Families who can afford these cars can save themselves money on gasoline. However, this technology is new and there are still several areas in which the hybrid car can be improved so that it could have an even bigger positive impact on the environment and the people who drive them.

[tags]cars[/tags]

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Author by : Eddie Tobey

Literally, the term “hybrid” means anything of a mixed origin, a product of two varying kinds. Hybrids are the outgrowth of technological advancements inspired by man?s creativity and curiosity, evidence that necessity is indeed the mother of invention.

It was in the year 1899 that man had first come up with the hybrid car engineered by Ferdinand Porsche. A hybrid car is operated by both a gasoline engine and an electric motor. Hybrid cars were not as popular to the people at that time as they have become recently. Now, famous automobile manufacturers like Toyota and Honda have several innovative and trendy models of hybrid cars.

Like any other vehicle, the hybrid car is composed of a gas engine, fuel tank, batteries, and a transmission. A major difference is that the engine is smaller in size, and it has an electric motor that functions with the gas engine.

The hybrid car is viewed to be the long-awaited answer to our worries about the continuous rise of fuel prices and rampant air pollution. Due to the shortage of oil mining sources and the increasing demand for fuel, some are beginning to worry that there will come a time when there will be no more oil left. Also, the amount of destructive air pollutants like the auto engine, which is considered as the biggest polluter on earth, has become very alarming. These factors have induced more people to search for alternative energy sources. Out of these concerns hybrid cars have evolved.

The hybrid car can save money on fuel costs and reduce the emission of carbon dioxide since it is powered by not gas alone but also by electricity. The hybrid car also has a self-recharging quality, so it doesn?t need to be plugged into an outlet. Therefore, the lesser fuel needed, the less the cost, and the less the pollution.

[tags]Hybrid Cars, Electric and Hybrid Cars, How Hybrid Cars Work, New Hybrid Cars[/tags]

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