Hybrid Cars vs Electric Cars
You may think that these cars are the same but they are not. There are many differences between the two aside from the fact that one car plugs in and the other does not. The disadvantages of the plug in cars are that they cost more than the standard hybrid and they require a much larger battery pack. In addition to these small differences a major difference is there may be some increase in pollution in some areas.
When these cars are being used in coal dependent areas the pollution level will rise. There will be an increase in sulfur dioxide and mercury emissions. This would most decidedly defeat the purpose of having an environmentally friendly car. But traditionally in neighborhoods and there are not many coal dependent fixtures so the environment is relatively safe.
There is also concern because of the batteries. Batteries are not biodegradable and they are not recyclable. So when these batteries die out because not all batteries last forever even if they are rechargeable. What will happen to the batteries and the battery acid? NiMH batteries that are in the plug in and the hybrid cars of today but what happens is the company that owns then, Cobasys will only sell these batteries to car manufactures and larger companies; they do not sell to small businesses and individual. So if your battery dies in your car then you will have spend a pretty penny to replace them.
Most people when they think of an electric car they think of plugging the car in at night when it is not in use. Sounds funny but in some cars it is a reality. A plug in hybrid car is a hybrid car that actually works on batteries that are recharged by using a plug to an outlet. The plug in cars are basically the same as a hybrid car but the plug in vehicles can also include passenger cars, commercial passenger vans, utility trucks, school buses and scooters.
A great positive for the plug in hybrid is that in the state of California alone, it has estimated that these cars run on a fourth of the cost of what a gas car is alone. Plug in vehicles are run by three different power trains. There is the Series Hybrid; it uses an internal combustion engine that uses a generator which gives current to an electric motor that rotates the cars drive wheels. Series Hybrids are the Renault Kangaroo, the Chevrolet Volt and the Toyota Orion which is available in Japan only.
The Parallel hybrids are cars that can send power to the drive wheels from two sources. The sources are the internal combustion engine and a battery powered electric drive. Examples of these cars are the Honda Insight, Civic and Accord hybrids. Then of course you have the Series-Parallel cars, these cars can be used in either drive. These power trains are used by Ford, Nissan, Toyota and Lexus.
