Making Some Sense of Car Terminology: Hybrids

As the automobile industry has changed so has the terminology. Making sense of what’s what can be a challenge. Over the last few decades designers began building vehicles to provide all the conveniences of trucks with the comforts of sedans. They called them hybrids. Meanwhile, other designers were working on building more energy efficient vehicles. The new vehicles combined traditional fuel sources with new electrical sources of energy. They called their new energy efficient cars hybrids. So what’s a hybrid? And what features do they offer?

For classification purposes, automobile manufacturers have historically divided their light vehicle products into two categories, automobiles and light trucks. Hybrids are new categories. Some hybrids cross the car-truck line. Other hybrids are new alternative-power or hybrid-powered cars. Let’s take a look at each.

Hybrid-powered vehicles combine the benefits of an electric car with the convenience of a gasoline-powered model. An electric motor handles normal stop-and-go traffic and initial highway acceleration. A gasoline or even diesel powered internal combustion engine kicks in when a car reaches higher speed. A computer control system switches from one power system to the other as necessary. At high speeds the gasoline engine recharges the electric motor’s batteries, so there’s no need for external electric power.

Hybrid design vehicles are cars that blur the lines between car, truck or van. Sports utility vehicles (SUVs) are actually types of hybrids, but are now considered a separate class of vehicle. Specifically an SUV is a cross between a truck and a station wagon car. A hybrid is a vehicle that has the characteristics of at least two separately classified types of vehicles. A hybrid might have the towing capacity of a truck, a convertible top like a sports car and the carrying capacity of a van. Make sense?

Ok, so can a car be both? Sure. Hybrid power and hybrid design are not related. But that won’t stop people from mixing up the terminology. Be prepared for others to simply say hybrid car when referring to either type of vehicle. Writers, other consumers and even car dealers sometimes use the simple hybrid to mean either or both type of vehicle.

Hybrids combine vehicle options to help consumers purchase one multi-use vehicle. Adding the comfort of a sedan to the towing capacity of a truck allows for easy long-distance travel and convenience for moving and yard work, without owning a separate truck or trailer.

And hybrid-powered cars, according to many, are the future of the automobile industry. Taking the best features of all designs and energy sources and combining them to make the most efficient multi-purpose vehicle possible makes the decision about what to buy simpler.

Do you have the best vehicle for your lifestyle? If you like the comfort of a sedan, but frequently struggle because you often need a larger, more versatile vehicle for completing yard work or moving furniture, perhaps its time to consider an SUV or other hybrid. Call your dealer today to start learning about all of the great hybrid options available to you. The right hybrid vehicle can serve many functions while providing the comfort that you want everyday. And with a hybrid-powered vehicle you can combine comfort, towing capacity, space and energy efficiency all in one vehicle! Why wait another minute when you could be driving the car of your dreams?

Cars And The Green World

For some, it may seem like a difficult thing to live in a world where to “go green” is to follow the trendy ideas and fashions of society. However, in order to get from one place to another, it may seem harder than it is possible, due to the fact that transportation in general can be something quite far from the “green” ideas that activists are recommending. How can you balance being the owner of a car, and still be able to say that you support those “green” ideas?

The idea is that, rather from immediately switching from your former lifestyle to one that is considered to miraculously be 100% green, you should try a little at a time to decrease the size of your ecological footprint, and do what you can to conserve things like water, gasoline, electricity, and effects on the environment. This shouldn’t necessarily be a 360 degree turn around all at once. That may not even be possible.

Simply start by doing other simple things, such as minimize the amount of driving that you actually do. By doing this, you can decrease the amount of emissions that you contribute to the environment by driving. Take advantage of good weather, good health, and good friends that can all come together to help everyone get to where they need to go. Carpools, public transportation, and even the utilization of a good bicycle can help you go “green” this year.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t drive your car at all-it just means that you should be smart about how and when you do. Likely, if you must drive to work or school, see what you can do to get other errands done on the way there or back. By stopping off at the store on your way home from work, you can save yourself a whole other trip back there later that evening, saving you money on gasoline, and saving the environment from that extra bundle of emissions.

Also, if you are driving a car older than about 2000, you may want to think about getting a new car. In the recent decade or so, manufacturers of vehicles all over the world have become increasingly aware of the effect that these cars have on the environment, as well as the cost of gasoline in most countries. Thus, in an effort to help their consumers like you, many have worked to create vehicle engines that are much more fuel efficient, thus producing fewer emissions, and affording you more reason to keep driving.

By limiting the amount of miles that you drive weekly, increasing the efficiency of your vehicle, you can do a lot more than you think to go green in this environment and money-conscious world. You can even find other ways to go green in the items that you purchase for your home and work needs. Lots more information can be easily found on the internet and through other sources. Do what you can to do your part for this world, in every aspect of your life.