Posts Tagged ‘hybrids’

Hydrogen Fuel Cars - Do They Exist?

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

There are hydrogen fuel cars on the roads of some cities. However there are two ways in which hydrogen can be utilized to power cars. The first method is to use hydrogen to actually power the internal combustion engine, in much the same way as numerous cars use Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). The second way is to use the reaction of hydrogen with oxygen in fuel cells as a battery, which makes the car a form of electric car.

The dream of producing hydrogen in the car whilst driving along by electrolyzing water is still a long way off, so we are still at the phase of batteries and filling the tank with hydrogen gas. This is the nub of the difficulty for potential owners and manufacturers. There are merely sixteen hydrogen filling stations in Los Angeles and none in 99% of other cities worldwide.

In deed, some of the big name motor manufacturers have pulled out of the race to put the first commercially viable hydrogen powered car on the streets. Ford and GM have announced that they are pulling out in America and so has Renault in France.

However, the Japanese companies are pressing on. In fact, Honda introduced its first hydrogen fuel cell car in 1999. It was called the FCX and they are now ready with introductory models of the second generation hydrogen cars called the FCX Clarity. Guess where they are available for sale? The one city in the world? Yes, Los Angeles, because of its hydrogen stations.

Honda says that, they could go into full-scale production of the FCX Clarity by 2020, if the world is ready for them by then. Hyundai have on-going plans to manufacture fuel cell (FC) cars and say that they will be in place to launch full-scale production by 2012. Daimler also announced that they would be producing 100,000 FC vehicles in 2012-2013.

Then there are hydrogen powered buses in quite a few European cities including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid. Porto Stockholm and a few more. Lotus, the makers of London taxis, have stated that they intend to set up a fleet of new, hydrogen powered taxis in time for the London Olympics in 2012.

Consequently, the hydrogen vehicle and the hydrogen passenger car is out there and the numbers will be growing fairly soon. The buses, mentioned above, go back to their depot, where an electrolyzing machine converts water into fuel for them to fill up on and the same will be true for lots of of London’s taxis. Unfortunately, getting fuel is not the only problem for the average motorist, some of these vehicles, like the FCX Clarity cost approximately $300,000 each.

However, here are a couple of interesting facts for those who like trivia. Francois Isaac de Rivaz designed the first hydrogen powered car in 1807 and Paul Dieges filed a US patent for a conversion to the internal combustion engine in 1970 which enabled a petrol engine to run on hydrogen and 200 years on we are still trying to get it right.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a number of topics, but is now involved with how to get Stapletons tyres. If you want to know more, please go to our web site at Car Tyres For Sale.

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Hybrid Cars and Plug-in Hybrid Cars

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
by Colin Jones

Hybrid cars are on everyone’s lips these days. Twenty, forty, or fifty dollars for a tank of petrol? Who in their right mind really wants to pay that sort of money? But, frustrated, the fuel customer sighs, but pays up. However, hybrid vehicles are being applauded for the little amount of petrol they need to operate, and they are flying 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 cars are great as well. So, someone 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 hybrids are capable of running solely on batteries, but they can use gas also. These kinds of hybrid cars have some of the features of hybrid vehicles. They are also very similar to all-electric vehicles.

Plug-in hybrid vehicles must 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 types of hybrid cars are recharged daily.

Hybrid cars can go 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 drive.

On the other hand, plug-in hybrids are designed to handle commuter-type distances, meaning between twenty and 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 gas 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 as far as pollution is concerned. Since plug-in hybrid cars can run solely on their battery power, they don’t have to emit waste fuel emissions at all.

Plug-in hybrids actually do combat 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 product used to power plug-in hybrids is renewable, the difference in greenhouse gas emissions may be even greater than the study showed.

So there you have it - those are the main differences between plug-in hybrids and regular hybrid cars. It could make a big difference, but you would be surprised at how little it actually matters at the moment, but tht’s only because plug-in hybrids are not being marketed to consumers yet! But this article should make you enthusiastic about the fantastic plug-in hybrid car, coming soon to a dealership near you.

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

About the Author:
If this piece has interested you in plug-in hybrid cars at all or Hybrid Cars in general, please click a blue link visit our website.

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Hybrid Cars vs. Plug-in Hybrid Cars

Monday, August 3rd, 2009
by Colin Jones

Hybrid cars are on everyone’s minds. Twenty, forty, or fifty dollars for a full tank of gas? Who in their right mind wants to pay that sort of money? However, frustrated, the gas consumer sighs, but pays up. However, hybrid vehicles are applauded for the small amount of gas they need to operate, and they are being driven off the lots of car dealerships each and everyday in increasing numbers.

So, what about a plug-in hybrid? Most users have heard that these cars are great 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 hybrids are capable of running just on batteries, but they can use gas also. These types of hybrid cars have some of the features 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 types of hybrid cars are recharged daily.

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

On the other hand, plug-in hybrids are meant to be driven commuter-length distances, meaning between twenty and sixty miles. Used in this fashion, the plug-in hybrid does not have to make use of its back up combustion engine, but plug-in hybrids can go further using gas as well.

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 fuel emissions. That means that plug-in hybrids don’t have 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 gasoline cars. Since the electric used to power plug-in hybrids is 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.

About the Author:
If this article has interested you in plug-in hybrid cars at all or Hybrid Cars in general, please click a blue link visit our website on hybrid vehicles.

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The History Of The Hybrid Vehicle

Friday, July 17th, 2009
by Colin Jones

Just where did a hybrid car get it’s start? Read on to find out. Hybrid cars are very popular for today’s car buyers and there are many reasons why that should be. But before you even think about choosing a hybrid vehicle to buy, you might want to know a little bit about the history of the hybrid first.

Surprisingly, hybrid cars were around even before gas-powered cars. Back in about the year 1665, a Jesuit priest by the name of Ferdinand Verbeist began plans for a certain type of vehicle. That vehicle would be very simple, nothing complex, or intricate. Simple was all he wanted.

So Ferdinand designed a car that would have four wheels and would run only on steam. It took about fifteen years of work for Ferdinand to go through with his plan. He laboured to perfect his dream car. But no one knows if he ever finished because there is no evidence that his concept ever came into existence.

Then in 1769, a man by the name of Nicholas Cugnot developed a carriage that was driven by steam. This carriage did in fact work, and it could go at six miles per hour. This project was great, but it was difficult to get the amount of steam needed that would allow the car to go any significant distance.

The real break through in hybrid vehicle design finally came in 1839 when Robert Anderson developed an electrically powered vehicle. It was the first of its kind and was built in Scotland.

This model electric car was a highly applauded innovation of its time. However, the only problem was that it was very difficult to recharge the car’s battery. Some pioneers did come after Anderson, but they had the same problem of getting the battery recharged easily.

Eventually, in the year 1898, Porsche developed an electric and fuel combination combustion engine that was the first of its kind. The car was called the Lohner Electric Chaise and it could go for up to 40 miles just using its batteries.

Soon, pioneers combined both gas and a battery powered engines to power what would become today’s hybrid car. In 1999, Honda made a leap into the US market. It came out with the Honda Insight, which was a lightweight two-door hybrid. Since then, hybrid cars have been evolving and improving into what we see on the market today. Hybrid cars are no longer just for the techies who think it’s cool to combine battery and fuel power to get them where they need to go. Hybrid cars began life simple, and they are still quite simple today.

Now hybrid cars are becoming more and more popular as people understand them more. Hybrid cars in the 21st century saw a boom in sales when the Toyota Prius came out on the market. It was the first hybrid with four doors that was sold in America.

Then, Ford’s Escape hybrid became the very first SUV hybrid ever made. So there, you have it, the history of the hybrid, today’s modern car.

About the Author:
If you would like to know more about the technology of hybrid cars, you should go along to our web resource where there is loads of information on hybrid cars

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A Hybrid Will Save You Money!

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
by Colin Jones

The price of fuel continues to fluctuate even now, but that does not mean that you have to be left penniless. You don’t have to let the unstable economy run you! Take whatever measures you have to, to change the circumstances you are in: there are all types of options open to you.

For example, did you realize that a hybrid car can help you gain more control of the money in your wallet? Well, it can. Hybrid cars are becoming more and more popular as the cost of fuel goes up, and the cost of hybrid cars is going down.

Gas prices go up and fuel prices go down and the cycle just seems to go on and on without giving us much relief at all. However, if you really take the trouble to think about it, that is not the situation. It is all about how you think about the situation that counts. So don’t be sad, be happy, and pay close attention to the television ads about hybrid cars.

A hybrid car really will help you fight back against rising gas prices. If you purchase a hybrid car after having had a conventional car, you would immediately see that you have more money in your wallet with the hybrid car.

Nobody likes wasting their money. I know that I don’t, but that is exactly what you are doing if you stay with a conventional car. Hybrid cars and trucks save you up to 50% on your fuel bills and that very soon exceeds the premium that hybrids cars go for. Over the life of your hybrid vehicle, which is over ten years, you will definitely make money on your purchase.

But just work it out for yourself! Go on, try this: write down the cost every time you visit the petrol station. What does the cost of a full tank of fuel tell you about your car? Whatever it is telling you, a hybrid car won’t be telling you the same as a conventional car does. And that is for sure.

So, get your money to speak to you in the manner you would like it to: instead of having it tell you all the time that your money is flowing out of your pocket, have it tell you, that some of it is going to stay in your wallet, so buy a hybrid car.

Who worked for those forty hours? You did, of course. So, make sure that you get something to show for it! A hybrid car is a super car to own and it will be of real assistance to your bank balance.

It is a vehicle that is not cheap to buy, but it will pay for itself over its lifetime and over that lifetime you will have done a lot of good for the environment and people will have admired you from afar, even if they don’t actually come up to you and express their feelings in person.

About the Author:
If you are worried about the possibility of rising fuel prices, you should think about purchasing a hybrid car. To find out more about hybrid electric cars, please visit our site.

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Hybrid Car Battery Packs Info

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
by Colin Jones

Those considering purchasing a hybrid car may be more than a little concerned about what is under the hood. Hybrid cars have partially battery-powered motors. Since a battery-powered motor is not something that typically comes to mind when people think about what’s driving a car, it’s a good idea to get a good understanding of hybrid car battery packs. Below you will find a few facts about them.

Hybrid car battery packs do not need to be replaced like torch batteries do. Made to last over the lifetime of the vehicle, a hybrid car’s warranty covers the battery for a time period that lasts between eight and ten years. In terms of mileage, a hybrid car battery pack is expected to last between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, and it probably will last longer than that.

The toxicity of hybrid car battery packs is a concern, but not a major concern, since hybrid car batteries use NiMH batteries, not the rechargeable nickel cadmium ones. Nickel cadmium batteries can be detrimental to the environment if not disposed of correctly, but the NiMH batteries that are used in hybrid car battery packs are fully recyclable.

Hybrid car battery packs contain hundreds of cells. Hundreds of cells means that hybrid cars have a complex battery underneath their hoods, and complexity does usually mean expensive, but with the generous warranty car manufacturers are giving on these cars, there is little risk of additional massive expense from the battery pack involved in purchasing a hybrid car.

The number of hybrid car battery pack failures reported has been really very low. When I say low, I mean negligible. If failure does happen, it is usually before the hybrid car even leaves the forecourt. Toyota has even said that some of its original Prius hybrid models have battery packs that have lasted over 300,000 miles.

The cost of replacing hybrid car battery packs isn’t really even a problem. It isn’t an issue because the hybrid car battery packs are built to last. The Department of Energy looked into hybrid cars, but stopped its tests when the capacity of the hybrid car battery pack was determined to be “just like new” after 160,000 miles. So, very few people really seem to know for sure what it costs to replace hybrid car battery packs except the manufacturers.

Hybrid car battery packs are evolving very quickly. If we look into the near future, we can see the next generation of hybrid car batteries is already in the works. The goal is, of course, to develop the technology so that it gives loads of power, lasts for the hybrid car’s lifetime, and costs less to make than it does these days.

If your hybrid car battery pack does run out, there is a solution. Toyota has put out some advice on what to do if your hybrid battery should run out after the warranty has ended. The advice is to have the battery reconditioned. This solution works well because if something goes wrong, the problem usually lies within only one of the 28 modules that the battery is made up of.

So, if you simply replace the problematic module with one that matches the chemistry of the other 27 modules, your hybrid car’s battery should be back in good shape. You can find a match by getting a battery pack from another car that has a similar mileage and age.

About the Author:
If you need to know more about the technology in hybrid cars, you should visit our web resource where there is tons of information on hybrid cars

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Can a Hybrid Save You Money?

Monday, July 13th, 2009
by Colin Jones

The price of fuel continues to fluctuate even now, but that does not mean that you have to be left broke. You don’t have to let the unstable economy control you! Take whatever measures you have to, to change the circumstances you are in: there are all kinds of options open to you.

For example, did you know that a hybrid car can help you regain control of the money in your purse? Well, yes, it can … Hybrid cars are becoming ever more popular as the price of fuel rises, and the cost of hybrid cars goes down.

Fuel prices go up and petrol prices go down and the cycle just seems to go on and on without giving us much relief at all. However, if you really take the trouble to think about it, that is not the case. It is all about how you think about the situation that counts. So don’t be sad, be glad, and pay close attention to the television ads about hybrid cars.

A hybrid car really will help you combat rising fuel prices. If you purchase a hybrid vehicle after having had a conventional car, you will immediately notice that you have more money in your pocket with the hybrid car.

Nobody likes to waste their money. I know that I don’t, but that is exactly what you are doing if you stick with a conventional vehicle. Hybrid cars and trucks save you up to 50% on your fuel bills and that very soon exceeds the premium that hybrids cars demand. Over the life of your hybrid vehicle, which is over ten years, you will definitely make money on your purchase.

But just work it out for yourself! Go on, try this: write down the cost every time you go to the petrol station. What does the cost of a full tank of fuel tell you about your car? Whatever it is telling you, a hybrid car won’t be telling you the same as a conventional car does. And that is for sure.

So, get your money to talk to you the way you would like it to: instead of having it say to you all the time that your money is flowing out of your pocket, have it tell you, that some of it’s remaining in your wallet, so get a hybrid car.

Who toiled for those forty hours? You did, of course. So, make sure that you get something to show for it! A hybrid car is a really nice car to own and it will be of real help to your bank account.

It is a means of transport that is certainly not cheap to buy, but be reassured that it will pay for itself over its lifetime and over that lifetime you will have done a lot of good for the environment or at least a lot less harm) and people will have admired you from afar, even if they don’t actually come up to you and express their feelings personally.

About the Author:
If you are worried about the chance of rising gas prices, you should think about buying a hybrid car. To find out more about hybrid electric cars, please visit our site.

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Hybrid Car Battery Packs Info

Saturday, June 20th, 2009
by Colin Jones

Those considering purchasing a hybrid car may be more than a little concerned about what is under the hood. Hybrid cars have partially battery-powered motors. Since a battery-powered motor is not something that typically comes to mind when people think about what’s driving a car, it’s a good idea to get a good understanding of hybrid car battery packs. Below you will find a few facts about them.

Hybrid car battery packs do not require to be replaced like torch batteries do. They are made to last over the lifetime of the vehicle, and therefore a hybrid car’s warranty covers the battery pack for a time period that lasts between eight and ten years. In terms of mileage, a hybrid car battery pack is expected to last between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, and it probably will last even longer than that.

The toxicity of hybrid car battery packs is a worry, but not a major concern, because hybrid car batteries use NiMH batteries, not the cheaper rechargeable nickel cadmium ones. Nickel cadmium batteries can be detrimental to the environment if not disposed of correctly, but the NiMH batteries that are used in hybrid car battery packs are safe and fully recyclable.

Hybrid car battery packs contain hundreds and hundreds of cells. Several hundred cells means that hybrid cars have a complex battery structure beneath their hoods, and, it is true, complexity usually translates into expensive, but with the generous guarantee hybrid car manufacturers are giving on their cars, there is not much risk of additional massive expense from the battery pack involved in buying a hybrid car.

The number of hybrid car battery pack failures has been really low. When I say low, I mean really low. If failure occurs, it’s probably before the hybrid car even gets off the lot. Toyota has even declared that some of its original Prius models have packs that have gone over 300,000 miles.

The cost of replacing hybrid car battery packs isn’t really even an issue It isn’t an issue because the hybrid car battery packs are built to last. The Department of Energy looked into hybrid cars, but stopped its test when the capacity was “just like new” after 160,000 miles. So very few people really seem to know for sure what it costs to replace hybrid car battery packs.

Hybrid car battery packs are evolving quickly. If we look further into the future, we can see the next generation of hybrid car batteries is in development. The goal is, of course, to discover a technology that gives lots of power, lasts for the hybrid car’s lifetime, and costs less to make than it does now.

If your hybrid car battery pack does run out, there is a solution. Toyota has put out some advice on what to do if your hybrid battery should run out after the warranty has ended. The advice is to have the battery reconditioned. This solution works well because if something goes wrong, the problem usually lies within only one of the 28 modules that the battery is made up of.

So, if you simply replace the depleted module with one that matches the chemistry of the remaining hybrid car battery pack’s 27 modules, your hybrid car’s battery should be back in good shape. You can find a matching module by getting a battery pack from another car that has a similar mileage and age.

About the Author:
If you would like to know more about the technology in hybrid cars, you should go along to our website where there is tons of information on hybrid cars

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