Best Hybrid Cars - Used - New - Auto - Pre Owned

Ford has already introduced two full hybrid vehicles in the market. These are the Ford Escape hybrid, which is the very first hybrid SUV to be introduced commercially, and the Mercury Mariner Ford hybrid.

Like its competitors such as Toyota, Honda and GM, Ford is also busy keeping up with the market. Aside from the two commercially available hybrid vehicles, they already have three more models that are expected to hit the market soon. The car maker has over 100 hybrid patent applications on the way.

Why Go Hybrid?

With hybrid cars, you can enjoy higher fuel efficiency, same or even enhanced comfort compared to conventional cars, a roomier vehicle and a performance that is incomparable. What is more exciting is that with every innovation that car manufacturers make with their hybrid models, they are usually able to offer them at a much lower price than the previous model.

The Escape Hybrid

The Ford Escape hybrid has been named the 11th greenest vehicle and has been offered with a price lower than the former models. It has added safety features and makes use of recycled materials. As with other hybrid car makers, environmental concerns have been a consideration in its design.

The Mercury Mariner

Another model of hybrid from Ford is the Mercury Mariner hybrid. This model is not as popular as the Ford Escape hybrid. It is not easy to find this model in the market. To purchase one, you have to directly order from Ford. This model was not the hit that it was expected to be. The good news is that Ford will offer this model at a lower price than the previous model.

Technology of Hybrids

Many car makers now use the full hybrid technology. It means that their hybrid products can run on both gasoline and electricity at the same time or choose between the two sources at a given time. They can run fully on gasoline or electricity depending on the terrain that the vehicle is traveling. Most city driving makes use of electricity. It is an efficient way to save gas when prices are soaring.

Some hybrid cars run by combining two electric motors to a gas engine. These gasoline engines are modified from running on Otto cycle to Atkinson cycle. This modification allows the vehicle to utilize electricity better. The engine will produce lower horsepower due to the less air and fuel, making the electric part more active. This feature is very efficient in city driving, allowing the user to save a lot on gasoline.

Variable Transmission Technology

Hybrid vehicles make use of the variable transmission technology called Electronically Controlled Continuously Variable Transmission or eCVT. This technology is responsible for the distribution of load between the gasoline engine and the electric motor. It allows the hybrids to perform very well on both on road and off road terrains. Regenerative braking technology is also used by these cars, allowing them to recover a lot of otherwise wasted energy, thus making fuel consumption more efficient.

Whether you're eying Ford hybrids or cars from other manufacturers like Honda and Toyota, you will find that the units that they offer might be a little more costly than with cars that run fully on gasoline, but in the long run, greater savings can be realized by their use of the more environmentally-friendly technology.

Ernest Jarquio is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Green-Hybrid-Cars.com. He provides more information on topics such as Ford hybrids, 2003 Honda Civic hybrid and Toyota Sienna hybrid which you can research on his website even while lounging in your living room.

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The Chevrolet Volt became an instant headline darling more than two years before it was it was ever released. The Volt represented a huge initiative undertaken by Chevrolet in response to high gas prices and the seemingly invincible Toyota Prius - a car that actually gains value after it's sold. The Volt, however is far from being a knock off. Rather, Chevy's new vehicle appears to be a bona fide challenge due in no small part to some revolutionary technology - it's a plug-in hybrid. And when the car starts appearing on the rode in 2010, it won't be the only plug-in on the road for long.

So how is a plug-in hybrid different from the hybrid vehicles that have been on the road for years now? Well, as noted, there's the obvious part about the car requiring a power outlet at night. This is because the car focuses a great deal more on electricity stored in batteries than the hybrid vehicles currently on the road. This reliance on electric motors means less gas is used, which, of course, increases the overall mileage for the vehicle.

How much your vehicle relies on electric motors, still depends on the make and model of the vehicle. The newly announced Volkswagen Twin Drive Golf (slated for 2010 release) is a plug-in hybrid with a rather powerful 350 pound lithium-ion battery. Like the Prius and other hybrids before it, the sixth generation Golf runs off of its battery until it reaches 30 miles per hour at which point the gas motor kicks in. What differentiates this hybrid from those that came before it is the option to cruise in what's being called "e-mode" - meaning electric only. This more classic type of hybrid is known as a parallel hybrid, as both electricity and gasoline are used to power the actual vehicle.

While the new Golf is an improvement over the current generation of hybrid vehicles, the Volt is radically different. How different? The gas engine has one purpose, and one purpose only, to recharge the batteries. Every other aspect of the vehicle is designed to work off of the batteries. This makes the Volt a "series hybrid" and the first of its kind. The battery in the Volt is slated to move the vehicle a full 40 miles before needing to switch on the gas engine and recharge all the while providing the same general acceleration and horsepower that a V6 would in a similarly sized sedan.

For parallel hybrids, the batteries are recharged while breaking. This means that there is the potential that those batteries won't fully recharge every trip, especially when making short trips across town or running exclusively in e-mode. As the batteries are doing more of the work, they'll need the extra gasoline power to keep those batteries charged. For the Volt and other series hybrids to follow, the plug is simple. If you drive less than 40 miles per day it stops you from every having to use gas.

Whether a plug-in hybrid is a parallel or a series hybrid, the end result is still roughly the same, the vehicle depends less on gasoline. Being less dependent on gasoline makes these cars more environmentally friendly. But beyond the environment, these cars are also more economical, as the cost for electricity per mile is much less than the cost for the same amount of gasoline required to travel the same distance. This means that the plug-in hybrid of tomorrow will be more environmentally and economically friendly, and that means that everyone really does win.

Scott Conklin is the president of Conklin Cars, a leading provider of Kansas Ford, Kansas Toyota, Kansas Honda, and Missouri Used Cars. They can be found online at: conklincars.com.

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