More and more people across the globe are becoming aware of the role of automotive in polluting the atmosphere. Statistics reveal that cars and other motor vehicles certainly pose a serious health hazard by constantly aggravating air pollution. This growing awareness has led to the emergence and eventual popularity of the eco cars. Car manufacturers worldwide are coming up with eco-friendly automotive technologies. We are currently witnessing the advent of new era less polluting, fuel-efficient eco cars. The latest eco cars do not release harmful carbon monoxide and certainly do not pollute and poison the atmosphere. Eco-friendly cars, also referred to as green cars, are vehicles that have a lesser environmental impact than those that use fossil fuels like diesel or gasoline. Eco cars use highly-advanced technology and alternative fuels, usually electric, fuel-cell, hydrogen, compressed air, natural gas, bio-diesel and even combinations thereof. Eco cars are becoming popular worldwide because they are known to emit significantly less air pollutants and greenhouse gases. All-electric and Hybrid cars would soon be a mainstream reality.
Hybrid Cars: A Dream Come True
Hybrid cars have been on the US automobile scene for a decade or more. Several hybrid models are available today and reputed automobile manufacturers have already announced plans to launch their own versions. Hybrid cars cost a bit more than the traditional gasoline-run cars, but they work out fine for the owners as the hybrid premium is going down constantly. Most studies reveal that in case of MPG hybrids, you would recover the extra cost through out the period of ownership. It is believed that you would get a wide choice of hybrids in the next few years and it is estimated that there would be around 55 models on the US roads. Hybrid cars are truly a dream come true for many environmentalists. They are supposed to give 20 to 30 more miles as compared to the conventional cars, per gallon.
The Technology behind Hybrid Cars
The hybrid cars are the products of the green movement. These cars are said to stretch the functionality of the conventional internal combustion engines simply by integrating a battery-powered electric motor, which is said to take off some load from the combustion engine. Hence, there is an overall rise in fuel efficiency. Hybrid cars actually do not require to be plugged in for charging up. Hybrid cars use electricity for very small distances and they may use ethanol or bio-diesel instead of gasoline to minimize toxic emissions by a whopping 97%.
Plug-in Hybrid Cars: An Innovative Variation
A plug-in hybrid car is quite similar to a traditional hybrid car as both use an electric motor and a gasoline engine. Only major difference being, the plug-in hybrid vehicle uses far bigger battery packs and these can by recharged by simply getting them connected to usual household electricity. Another striking feature of a plug-in hybrid is that it can be used for long distances up to 40 miles without any gasoline. Chevrolet was perhaps the pioneer in launching the first plug-in hybrid, the mass produced Chevy Volt. Several more interesting models are on the pipeline from Ford, Toyota, Hyundai and many others.
Plug-in Hybrid Cars: A True Green Car
Both electric cars and plug-in hybrids have almost similar advantages. However, as opposed to electric cars, plug-in hybrids do not suffer from limited driving range. When the battery is dead in a plug-in hybrid, it does not encounter any problem and you can carry on driving it just like the traditional hybrid till you get a chance to plug in. Plug-in hybrids may be placed at a higher price than the conventional vehicles, but then price doesnt seem to be a factor, when you are aware of their effectiveness in cutting down air pollution drastically.
Emission-free Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles are known to be zero carbon emission modes of transport and certainly one of the most environment-friendly vehicles. A hybrid car is run by gasoline but uses a motor and a battery to raise the efficiency. However, an electric car runs exclusively on electricity. Electric cars completely rule out sulfur and carbon emissions. So you can safely assume that electric cars are not responsible for any tailpipe emissions, they are cheaper to operate and definitely reduce your dependence on gasoline. These cars run without burning any non-renewable fossil fuels if solar power or wind is harnessed to create electrical energy to charge the battery packs. Electric cars are wonderful examples of alternative energy cars.
Electric cars comprise fewer mobile parts and systems hence, require lower maintenance costs. Consumers are encouraged to adopt unfamiliar technology by offering generous warranties on electric cars. Electric cars are priced quite high as compared to the traditional cars, but the government offers some extremely attractive incentives. Thanks to lower electricity cost per mile in comparison to the conventional gasoline, and fewer maintenance costs the new era eco cars are here to stay as they have an overall lower ownership cost.
Author Bio: Jack is an automobile expert who is a senior executive at ideal Auto USA. He has been in the business for over a decade and enjoys sharing his know how on his blog.
