A Brief Hybrid History

As it turns out, hybrid technology is not as new as one would think. The first hybrid dates back to the late 19^th century when the Lohner-Porsche “Mixte” was built. During the years that followed, a number of hybrid cars were built, including one model that used a regenerative breaking system. The hybrid trend continued through the 1920’s only to be replaced by the internal combustion engine which became cheaper to produce and fuel. Henry Ford is credited with “killing” the hybrid.

Hybrid cars made a brief resurgence in the 1970’s during the Arab Oil Embargo, but it was short-lived.

In 1997, Toyota released the first Prius in Japan and in 2000 both Toyota and Honda reintroduced the hybrid to the United States with the Prius and the Insight.

In 2003, Honda released the Civic hybrid. The Civic hybrid is considered a mild hybrid, which means the electric motor is used to assist the gas engine, but will not move the car on its own.

In 2004, Toyota released the second generation Prius featuring the “Hybrid Synergy Drive”. As a “Full Hybrid”, the Prius can operate on the gas engine, the electric engine, or both at the same time.

Since the success of the Prius, we have seen the release of the Ford Escape Hybrid, the first hybrid SUV, in 2007.

Lexus, Mercury and GM have also jumped into the hybrid market, as it continues to make history.

Hybrid Electric Overview

Hybrid electric vehicles or HEVs combine an internal combustion engine with batteries and an electric motor. Although there are a number of different hybrid “technologies”, dependant on the manufacturer, they generally attempt to reach the same goals: greater fuel economy and lower air pollutant and green house gas emissions. At the same time, modern hybrid vehicles are providing the power and space demanded by consumers.

Hybrid electric vehicles can be broken down into two categories:

1. Mild hybrids

This category uses an electric motor to assist the gasoline engine by providing an occasional boost of power in situations such as climbing a steep hill or when passing. Having the electric motor provide the additional power allows vehicles to use a smaller more fuel efficient engine. The Honda Civic is considered a Mild hybrid.

2. Full hybrids

The electric motor provides an additional boost of power when needed. The electric motor is also used to power the vehicle from a stopped position until it reaches a speed threshold which engages its gasoline engine; typically engaging the engine around 25 mph.

Both Mild and Full hybrids use a number of integrated technologies in order to obtain the greatest fuel economy possible. These technologies include:

• Automatic Stop/Start
Instead of allowing the vehicles gasoline engine to idle and waste energy, this shuts off the engine when the vehicle has stopped and starts the engine when the accelerator is pressed.

• Regenerative Braking
With this technology the electric motor during times of braking or coasting acts as a generator, and produces energy which is stored in the vehicles battery. This stored energy which would have otherwise been wasted can be used later when needed by the electric motor.

• Motor Assist System
This system uses the hybrid’s electric motor to assist the vehicles gasoline engine when additional power is needed. This allows vehicles to have smaller more efficient gasoline engines.

Visual Overview of Typical Hybrid

Are HEVs the answer?

As stated earlier, current hybrid technologies use conventional fossil fuels to power the internal combustion portion of the vehicles, which in itself should tell you that they are not the answer. However, they are a part of the big picture. The fact is, it is better to drive a vehicle that gets 40 MPG than a vehicle that gets 17 MPG. In addition, future hybrid vehicles will be powered by alternative fuels (biodiesel, ethanol, compressed natural gas, etc.) in place of conventional fossil fuels, further reducing emissions and our dependency on fossil fuel.

So are they the answer? No, but they are certainly part of the puzzle.

Current List of Available 2008 Hybrids (Green Auto Hybrids, that is)

Year 2008 Hybrid/Electric Cars that meet the GreenAuto Standards

Toyota Prius

Toyota Camry

Honda Civic

Nissan Altima

Chevy Malibu

Saturn Aura Greenline

Year 2008 Hybrid/Electric SUVs that meet the GreenAuto Standards (Please note, a number of vehicles that made our list in 2007 did not make the list in 2008 due to the revised EPA standards.)

Ford Escape

Mercury Mariner

Mazda Tribute

Saturn VUE Greenline