Hybrid cars are becoming increasingly popular due to the cost of gasoline going up and the move to save the environment. Hybrid cars are being built to look like gas fueled cars. Although Hybrid cars are not mainstream as of yet, in the future they will more than likely replace gas only fueled cars. There are three cars on the market that uses hybrid technology: Toyota Pirus, Honda Civic Hybrid, and the Ford Escape Hybrid. This report will focus on how hybrid cars work, why they are environmentally friendly, why they are more efficient than gas fueled cars, advantages and disadvantages of hybrid cars, and what a consumer should consider when buying a hybrid car.

What is a hybrid car?
     

According to “The Philly Wire: Hybrid Car”, A "hybrid car" or "hybrid electric vehicle" is a vehicle which relies not only on batteries but also on an internal combustion engine which drives a generator to provide the electricity and may also drive the wheels directly. (The Philly Wire) There are five types of hybrid automobiles: Full hybrids, assist hybrids, plug-in hybrids, hydraulic hybrids, and mild hybrids.
How do Hybrid cars work?
     

Most hybrid cars work by letting the electric part of the hybrid perform task that a gas engine does inefficiently. When more power is needed, the gas engine kicks in to provide extra power. Some hybrids are able to run solely on the electric motor until it reaches a threshold in which the gas engine kicks in. Other types of hybrids use the electric component just for specific tasks. Below are the different types of hybrid cars and a brief description of each hybrid.
Full hybrids
      

A "full hybrid", sometimes also called the "strong hybrid", is a vehicle that can run on just the engine, just the batteries, or a combination of both.The Prius and the Escape are examples of this.A large, high voltage battery pack is usually needed for battery-only operation. Assist hybrids Assist hybrids use a battery and electric motors to accelerate the car, but only in combination with the internal combustion engine.The Honda Insight is an example of an assist hybrid.
       

These are full hybrids, able to run in electric-only mode, with larger batteries and the ability to recharge from the electric power grid (some call it griddable hybrid.) Their benefit is that they can be gasoline-independent for daily commuting, while they have the extended range of a hybrid for long trips. The Electric Power Research Institute's research indicates a lower total cost of ownership for PHEVs due to reduced service costs and gradually improving batteries.
        

So let us support the use of hybrid cars that have a thousands economic benefits to the community and to the world.