| With the gas prices being so high, more and more | | | | means less energy is used. The engine in a non-hybrid |
| people are becoming aware of how valuable energy | | | | is heavier so it requires more power to accelerate |
| is in our daily lives. Hybrid cars show how energy can | | | | and to go up an incline. And with a hybrid there are |
| be conserved and pollution reduced. The cleanest non | | | | fewer cylinders. |
| hybrid car can put about 90 percent smog pollution in | | | | Hybrids have less internal machinery. The energy and |
| the air versus the hybrid. | | | | time needed to move a cylinder up and down in a |
| The Honda insight was the first hybrid on the US | | | | non hybrid is greater. To start the car, the non hybrid |
| market in 1999. It is electrically powered and can go | | | | engine needs more power because it has more |
| 61 mpg on city roads and 70mpg on the highway. | | | | cylinders. In addition, each cylinder uses more fuel for |
| Then in 2000, Toyota brought the Prius to the | | | | cylindrical displacement. |
| market, it goes 52 mpg in the city and around 45 | | | | There are some tips to keep in mind when driving a |
| mpg on the highway. The Honda Civic hybrid came | | | | hybrid to maximize energy and mileage productivity. |
| out in 2002 with 46mpg on city roads and about | | | | Drive slowly-Aerodynamic drag increases if you drive |
| 51mpg on the highway. Since then there have been | | | | fast. If you slow down you will save energy. |
| other hybrid models such as, the Chevy Silverado, | | | | Drive at a constant speed- Increasing your spend and |
| the Dodge Ram pickup and the Ford Escape SUV. | | | | then slowing down wastes fuel. |
| Hybrids are more efficient for a number of reasons. | | | | Try not to break suddenly-The motor in a hybrid is |
| For one, the battery of a hybrid lasts longer. It is | | | | like a generator. Energy is lost if you stop abruptly. |
| equipped with two energy supplies- the gas and | | | | Try to give you car some recovery time. |
| electricity. The car is made of lighter materials, that | | | | |