Repainting The World Green

Story Highlights:

• What are hybrid cars?
• Why drive hybrid?
  
• Why not drive hybrids?
• Different types of Hybrids and facts
• Best choice in the end

What are hybrid cars?
Hybrid cars, usually referred to just as “hybrids”, are essentially a vehicle that is operate-able on two or more energy sources. There are mainly two types of

A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) diagram shows that it can use an electric outlet to recharge the battery for the car to run on electrically. Photo Credits: Matt Howard (2009)

hybrids. The first type is a mild hybrid car, which primarily drives on fuel or gas engine, and uses the electric power battery secondarily. The second type is a full hybrid car, also known as a two-mode hybrids, which primarily runs on electric power and secondarily uses gas engine power. Electric power is usually powered by regenerative braking, which recharge the NiMH battery whenever the car slows down, which is usually by braking or coasting. Energy is captured and restored when the energy is running backwards. PHEVs, which stands for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, are vehicles that use electrical outlets as it’s base to recharge the battery in a hybrid.

Why drive hybrids?
Hybrids are definitely the greener choice when you compare it to the average sedan. When you drive a hybrid, you not only make less stops to the gas station, but your car would produce less nitrogen oxide, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter. Particulate matter, which is basically a mixture of soot and dust that floats within our air, pose a threat to human’s respiratory systems.

“I bought it [a hybrid] because it’s fuel-efficient, which saves me a lot of cash in the long-run and, of course there is always the idea that I’m saving the world, one Prius at a time.” – Diksha Punia, Psychology, Freshman UCI

Why not drive hybrids?
Hybrids are not commonly seen driven on the streets because of it’s expensiveness. People just don’t have the money to fork over now for a less-than-spacious vehicle, even though the outlook for the future might be brighter economically. Maintaining a hybrid can also be hard because there are not that many mechanics that have intensive knowledge on how to fix a hybrid if it broke down. People also should also not look at it for positive economic reasons only, because you would only really “save” money when you’ve owned that hybrid for about five to twenty years, depending on fuel prices.

“Hybrid cars should be better in the future, so I’m waiting for the technology to get even more advanced and the price to fall lower.” – April Stearns

Different Hybrid Cars

The Toyota Prius III, of the popular series Toyata Priuses. Photo Credits: Thomas Doerfer (April 2009)

One of the more popular hybrids would probably be the Toyota Prius. Hybrids arriving this year are BMW ActiveHybrid 7, Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Malibu, Honda CR-Z, and more. Some other previous vehicles that are known to be energy-efficient are the Lexus LS Hybrid, GS Hybrid, Chevy Hybrid, and GMC Yukon Hybrid.

Best choice in the end
Many people might be thinking that the most green choice in the end would be hybrids over conventional cars. However, bus transportation would have to be the best of both ends. It might not save as much fuel as hybrids, but it can transport a lot more people and will save them much more money than if they were to drive their own cars.

“I ride the bus going back and forth from home and school. Parking permits are too expensive anyway, so ride the bus!” – Don Samson, Automation and Instrumentation, Year 3, BCS