Six Easy Steps to Buying a Hybrid Car

Buying a hybrid car is a big decision, even more so nowadays because there are many more hybrid cars and hybrid trucks to chooes from. Having a larger choice is both a good and bad thing. Not only do you have to decide which company to buy from but you also have to decide between getting a hybrid car or a hybrid truck or even a hybrid SUV. The decision can be simplified by knowing why you're buying the hybrid; the issue of saving gas mileage versus just getting a hybrid vehicle in order to say you are driving a hybrid.

Hybrid cars combine two or more sources of power, usually consisting of an electric motor that regenerates energy through braking power and a standard gasoline engine, Because of the regenerated electric power, you are able to use much less gasoline to get where you want to go, which is how a hybrid vehicle saves you money. A hybrid is not an electric vehicle, and does not have to be recharged at night or anything like that. A hybrid is simply a gas powered car with electrical motor assistance.

Many forms of hybrid cars, hybrid trucks, and hybrid SUV's are currently on the market or coming to market. These include but are not limited to the Toyota Prius, the Lexus GS 450h Hybrid, the Honda Civic Hybrid and Honda Accord Hybrid, the Toyota Highlander and 2007 Toyota Camry hybrid, and the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV.

Because of the large influx of hybrid cars, the cost premium of buying one has started to go down. President Bush even said that to cure our addiction to oil, we must invest in hybrid cars and other energy technology, so now is the time to consider buying one, especially with the world's oil fields being so unstable and gasoline rising almost daily.

Which leads us to the key question, how do you best go about buying a hybrid car? Of course the start of that answer lies in 6 simple steps, which I have titled HYBRID.
• H – How to know if buying a hybrid is right for you.
• Y—Your personal driving habits might determine your choice
• B—Before you even think about buying, be aware of your options
• R—Research thoroughly the manufacturer and dealer to get the best price
• I—Investigate other dealers, and also check online, it may be cheaper to buy in another state and have the hybrid car shipped to you
• D—Don't ever go by sticker price. A MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price) is just that, a Suggestion, so if you have done all the previous steps you will be armed sometimes with even more information than the salesman, thus allowing you to have the upper hand in the negotiation.

Read more about Hybrid Cars.

Tracy Robinson is President of Zen Solutions - providing eco-friendly advice worldwide. More Hybrid Car Information can be found at http://www.HowToBuyAHybrid.com.

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Hybrid Car Review: It’s A Baby Nissan Hybrid!

Nissan recently made public its first baby in the hybrid car industry with its 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid! Although it has not been priced yet at the moment, car enthusiast are looking out for its initial release into the hybrid auto market which will be in 2007. On the exterior, the new 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid will assume the similar look of the non-hybrid Altima and will also run on the same gas engine as its non-hybrid counterpart. But this newly-introduced 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid Car will be boasting of its added hybrid electric system that helps reduce gas emissions and maximize its gas mileage with an expected fuel economy of 36 mpg - miles per gallon - for highway driving and 41 mpg - miles per gallon - for city driving.

Emission-wise, the 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid has passed the standard of PZEV or the Partial Zero Emission Vehicle, classified as AT-PZEV, which means to say that this new baby will be ruling the roads of the eight states which has adopted the California standard for vehicle emission tests.

A peek under the hood will tell us that the new 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid Car will have 2.5 liter 4 cylinder engine with a power of 158 horsepower and with a CVT powertrain . Together with the hybrid system, it will have a total of 198 horsepower, net! The 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid Car will run with a 40 horsepower permanent magnet synchronized AC motor. Its electric motor will have a 199 lb-ft, torque and a hybrid battery pack of 244.8 Volts.

Not a bad primi for Nissan. And if all goes well, we might expect more hybrid models from Nissan.

JB Anthony is the webmaster of http://www.hybridcars.hottestniches.com For more information on hybrid cars, latest hybrid car reviews and updates and links to hybrid cars, please visit http://www.hybridcars.hottestniches.com

Advantages of a Hybrid Car

With a proper introduction to the operation of a hybrid car automobile and an explanation of the energy saving benefits that can be enjoyed through car ownership, the advantages of hybrid car operations will be realized and ultimately understood. Thus, before buying a car, a hybrid car especially, it is important to discuss and find out more about the many nice advantages of Hybrid car performance with friends and family.

The hybrid version of automobiles offers the customer an interesting assortment of engine features that are supplemented with power options through the use of electrical motor and battery participation. These engine features are not available in every hybrid automobile currently being sold at automobile dealerships or through private sales in society today. The hybrid engines are equipped with gas powered, or dual powered engines, as well as an electrical motor that renders power support when needed. There is a heavy duty battery that serves as a source of power as well.

Within the hybrid breed of automobile engine varieties, there is a mild hybrid category and a full hybrid category. While each of these categories contain the same equipment, the performance of that installed equipment can cause your automobile to operate on entirely different principles. The mild hybrid category consists of a gas powered automobile engine that serves as the propulsion mechanism to move your automobile down the street.

Paired with this gas powered automobile engine is an electrical motor, as well as a heavy duty battery that are snuggly connected throughout the engine maze of pipes and mechanisms that when energized can provide propulsion to move your automobile forward. The hybrid car engine is the only source of propulsion power in the mild hybrid engine model, and the electrical motor remains in standby mode to provide spurts of energy and power to aid the gas powered engine in passing vehicles on a highway or wherever else a sudden surge of power will be of benefit.

The full hybrid category consists of a gas powered automobile engine that is considered the propulsion mechanism as well as an energy saving device. An electrical motor and a heavy duty battery are also part of this full hybrid engine power force. The gas powered engine works hand in hand with the electrical motor to provide the necessary boosts of energy to cause the car to propel through traffic. When the car is stopped at a traffic light, the gas powered engine will cease to operate, and the electrical motor will take over in providing propulsion power for the car to move from the site. Once the car achieves a good level of speed, the gas powered engine in the hybrid car will automatically engage and cause the car to continue down the street under gas engine power. The heavy duty battery is continually charged by the electrical motor at the same time.

The energy savings are accumulated during the different stops and starts that the vehicle might experience as the automobile moves toward its destination. Whenever the gas powered engine is not engaged there is a cost savings realized in its lax state of operation. The hybrid motor is quite capable of consuming energy and generating the right amount of power at the same time. These moments of non-engagement will save the consumer money in gas cost every time the automobile is driven down the road.

In conclusion, there exist more logical advantages of owning a hybrid car which is an unstoppable growing trend and unconfrontational facts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Albert_Tay

Best Hybrid Car

It would be easy to figure out which of the current automobiles today were ranked with the best energy efficiency ratings in gasoline powered car engines, model design, and those rated with the best safety features per car class. There is a wide opinion spread of rankings that can be provided by most major automobile manufacturers' reviews.

It would probably be difficult, if not impossible to find same rankings for the dual-powered hybrid automobile that is emerging like gangbusters on the automobile market today. It would also be near impossible to figure out which of these models would be considered or ranked as the best hybrid car available on the market today because with the energy saving features that save people money at the gas pumps, all of these hybrid car models are a winner.

The best hybrid car would provide versatility and style to the consumer. With mild hybrid and full hybrid car models available, there is a good selection of features that consumers can choose that will meet their individual driving needs and styles. Some of these hybrid car varieties have the capability of driving from a dead start on electrical power, while others require the gas powered motor feature to engage first to perform this part of the drive train operation.

There are three components in all of the hybrid cars that are manufactured today. To be considered a hybrid car, the automobile must have a gas powered automobile engine, an electrical motor and a car battery or battery pack underneath the hood. The manner that these components work together or singularly to move your car further down the highway depend greatly on the type of hybrid it is. The best hybrid vehicle would be one that used all three, but if that is not typical of your driving style, you will receive better fuel usage through the mild hybrid style which would render the car more economical.

The ease in use would also qualify a hybrid car into being considered one of the best on the market today. The keyless operation option is a highly valued feature that most consumers would prefer not to do without. These hybrid automobiles do not have a regular ignition switch, but feature state-of-the art technology in a push button ignition switch. All hybrid cars that have this feature built into their consoles will definitely be considered on the best hybrid automobile list that anyone creates.

Another feature that would be hard to vote on, in this best hybrid dual-powered car list would be the hybrids that give you a touch screen with interactive displays that give you a realm of information at your fingertips. The energy efficient power cars give multi-dimensional information across the console of the automobile, where you can tell at a glance what the climate control temperature is, or the radio settings are.

The simplistic pampering that these hybrid cars offer can give car owners back the control that they have in their cars. Drivers can now stay informed on the flow of power that goes through the electrical components and can now tell when this flow is affecting fuel consumption. With so many modes of operation to keep you informed and entertained, the hybrid automobile is hard to separate if you are trying to identify which one of the many manufactured brands are the best car in its class.

Future of Hybrid Cars

There are many design concepts being considered for maximum public exposure and benefits on the drawing board of car designers today that look to the future hybrid car needs and considerations that will serve the public well in the course of the next century. Many of these hybrid car designers are taking past and proven sales performers and have begun reworking their designs from the ground up.

Instead of a front wheel drive platform, there are automobile designers that are building on a rear platform design for one of the nation's best selling and widely recognized car frames in America and worldwide. The hybrid car designs of the future are including sports car models that have been all-time favorites with the world in the past and are now being revived with the brand new hybrid engine in mind.

There is an aggressive training program in place at one of Americas largest car manufacturing companies that is preparing their technicians to repair the growing styles and variations of hybrid cars that are emerging onto the automobile market.

With the extreme difference in battery features and dramatic variance in voltage levels, there is a void that needs to be filled by someone who is equipped with the necessary battery cabling devices that can handle 270 volts instead of the normal 12 volt battery systems. Regular car technicians are typically capable of handling battery recharging requirements, but with the futuristic applications that are applied in hybrid battery design, the best service these car technicians can provide at present is that they can still provide oil changes and tire rotations should the need arise.

With a mindset of grasping and expanding the propulsion features that are somewhat limited in today's hybrid car designs, there are retro styling efforts that are focusing on providing hybrid cars with optional V8 engine capacities.

There are considerations in place to use solar cells in the framework of hybrid automobiles. The electrical power will be produced through the boot lids and bonnet placement of these solar cell modules. Through the use of solar cells it will then be possible to utilize the battery charging capabilities when the car is not turned on or in motion to replenish batteries that have been depleted through the use of air conditioning or through continuous operation when the hybrid automobile is delayed in traffic jams at different times of the day. This lightweight body structure design would benefit the energy savings to the consumer and make the car more manageable on the highway.

There is an effort in hybrid car design that is turning the out of the ordinary hybrid vehicle into a replica of what is parked in the driveway every day of our life. This blending in effect is meant to bring the hybrid full circle into the acceptable graces of the American public.

The future hybrid car will need to focus more on greenhouse gases that negatively effect the environment as well as a hybrid car that will be even more fuel efficient. Without these changes, the production and sales of any type of vehicle will not be possible due to the degradation of our atmosphere.

There are many views about hybrid cars in the futures that will change its fuel source from the heavy duty batteries in use today, to hydrogen-power fuel cell. This will take away the need for hybrid cars to have to use gasoline completely in order to transverse down the major highways.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Albert_Tay http://EzineArticles.com/?Future-of-Hybrid-Cars&id=430532

Hybrid Cars: An Introduction

Have you been thinking about hybrid cars and maybe wondering what a hybrid is anyway? Well, in this article we will hopefully help you understand them a little better.

A hybrid is very similar to the gasoline powered automobile most people drive today, the big difference is the hybrid also uses batteries as part of their power supply, most hybrid cars on the road right now are gasoline-electric hybrids although, there are some that are diesel-electric, but for the sake of this article we will concentrate on the gasoline-electric powered car.

A gas powered car has a fuel tank, which supplies gasoline to the engine, which turns the transmission, which turns the wheels. The hybrid is a compromise, it attempts to significantly increase mileage and produce fewer emissions than the gas powered car, to be useful for you or me, a hybrid must be able to be refueled quickly and deliver around 300 miles or better between refueling. The fuel tank on a hybrid is very sophisticated. Advanced electronics allow it to act as a motor as well as a generator. It can draw energy from the batteries to accelerate the car, but acting as a generator, can slow the car down and return energy back to the batteries. It takes 1000 pounds of batteries to equal a gallon of gasoline in energy. This combination can and is cutting gasoline consumption substantially. I am sure things will only get better in the future for hybrid cars; they were a long time in coming and will not be for everybody. The cost for the hybrids is not as much as one might think although some do get quite expensive depending on the extras and options added, the same as any new automobile

Here is a list of what is available in gas powered hybrids on the market today and some that will be coming soon, Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Honda Fit expected in 2008, Honda Insight, Hyundai Accent, expected in 2009, Chevrolet Malibu expected 2007 Lexus GS 450h, Nissan Altman, expected in 2007, Toyota Camry, Toyota Plus, SUVs & Minivans- Chevrolet Tahoe, expected 2007, Dodge Durango, expected in 2007, Ford Escape SUV, GMC Yukon, expected 2007, Lexus RX400h SUV, Toyota Highlander SUV, Mercury Mariner SUV, and others will be coming in the near future.

Right now there are enough on the market to look at to see if maybe a hybrid automobile is for you. At first, the designs seem a bit different, they do take a little time to get used to, but after awhile though they do seem to fit right in and some will get you looking a second time at the smart design. Take a look and maybe a test drive, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the ride and concept of the new hybrids. They are different and will take some getting used to, but they are much needed and will do away with some of the other gas guzzling automobiles that are on the road today. I hope after reading this article you will have a better understanding of what a hybrid car is all about, they seem to be here to stay.

Did you know you could be eligible for an irs hybrid rebate? Find out more at http://www.hybrid-rides.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Eggert

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