So I Still-field a lot of phone calls every week about hybrid some of the questions are pretty in-depth and I need help answering them, but most of the questions are pretty basic, like how they work, what's the difference , and what's the advantage or disadvantage? So I thought I just might give a little more than a nutshell of what A hybrid is.
So there's two basic ideas behind hybrid, I'm not going to get real deep into both of those ideas. I am just explaining to you one is designed to add power to the engine & one is designed to give additional efficiency. Now the longer hybrids have been out the closer car companies have come to the middle of that line. In other words Toyota and Lexus have managed to put a very powerful hybrid power plant with their Standard Motor and still get great efficiency with the Atckinson cycle motor. Honda has done a great job squeezing power out of their very efficient design hybrid.
Okay seriously I said I wasn't to get into that so that's enough about the difference. The basic idea behind a hybrid is your Engine runs as it always has, you put gasoline in the car, you start it, the spark ignites the fuel and your car goes down the road. Where the hybrid comes in, during those moments where that engine does not need to run, it switches to electric power and shuts the engine down. That electric power, which is powered by a battery, that is recharged by the gas motor. Takes over the low demand of power that is currently working against the vehicle. When you are sitting in traffic or at a stop light, the engine technically does not need to run. You also get hybrid power when you're in a parking lot going less than 5 miles an hour. These are scenarios where a efficient hybrid motor will take over the responsibility of the gasoline engine and save you fuel. The way the engine restarts is automatic, so do not let that scare you away. It is all lightning fast and automatic.
Now in those cases when you're running one of the more power adjusted hybrids you're going to be in a scenario where going up a steep grade or pushing your vehicle like when towing there will be times when that electric motor jumps in on top of the gas motor and provide additional horsepower for towing pulling going up steep grade and thus creating still a more efficient environment for your gasoline motor.
Okay I realize that's a real nutshell version of how hybrid works but here are couple of quick things you need to know about. If the batteries are not charged the hybrid won't work at all so you need to keep the battery in a good state of charge, otherwise you don't have a hybrid you just have a gasoline engine toting around a whole lot of extra batteries. Also under extreme temperature conditions the hybrid will not work efficiently. Check the internet in your area for reviews on specific models.
My strong advice, if you're going to make the leap into a hybrid, I believe it is well worth it. I believe this is where all cars are going to in the future, but you should get to know the differences in how it really works. Many of the models use constant variable transmission, that means there's no shift points, many people get car sick when the vehicle feels this way. So you need to test drive them first. Find out why they feel different and how they work before you take that plunge, because that is serious buyers remorse when you spend an extra $10,000 on a hybrid vehicle that you hate to drive.
Okay one thing I didn't touch on was maintenance. That is a huge benefit of hybrids as long as you understand them. Hybrid vehicles use regenerative braking. Regenerative braking is responsible for helping recharge those hybrid batteries. So coming down a steep hill and you're applying the brakes, the brake pad and the rotor actually do not making contact. Wild right, they are using negative electricity like when magnets oppose each other. This not only recharges the batteries but it slows the vehicle down. No in sudden stops or excessive foot to pedal force the brakes work just as any brakes work. Now that's a real basic explanation but, the bottom line is you save wear and tear on your brakes.. So I was seeing very typically double the life expectancy out of brake pads. In addition all of the wear and tear on your engine is reduced as well because your engine does not run as often. There is also electronic power steering, electronic air conditioning, and those are two components that have never been electronic before in previous gas model cars. That eliminates a lot of moving parts and in the case of Lexus and Toyota they have eliminated all of the all-wheel-drive components and just use an electric motor there all-wheel-drive in at least a couple models.
Basically I am of the belief that the Hybrid is the smart phone of the auto industry. The more you understand them the better your experience will be. There will come a time where hybrid is standard I do believe that, and I think that is a great advantage.
By the way most manufactures offer long warranties on the hybrid components, up to ten years and in the 8 years I dealt with them I only ever saw two or three batteries replaced. They were all warranty items.
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