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Archive for February, 2010

What Is A Hybrid Car?

With the opening of the new year headlining oil costs rising up to a historic 100 per barrel more and more Americans are now looking into the possibility of owning up their first hybrid car. Though generally American drivers have been immediately associated with gasguzzling trucks or sports cars who trade oil efficiency for speed the idea of paying up to 4 a gallon is creeping up to a mindset of customers. Hybrid cars seem to solve this problem. Ironically the hybrid car is also seen as environment friendly. This is the reason why car companies are in a race to seal victories with consumers.

What makes a car hybrid?

A vehicle can be considered a hybrid when it utilizes two different sources of power to allow the car function.

The most common hybrid vehicle on the roads right now is the hybrid electric vehicle HEV. They use a conventional system of propulsion complemented by a rechargeable system for storing energy. A typical example would be cars with electric batteries added to the usual internal combustion engine.

How do the cars work?

Vehicles with electric batteries have been introduced in the early nineties but were not a big hit due to the major hassle of charging the vehicle and small number of charging stations. But hybrid vehicles have been able to solve this dilemma by recharging the batteries as the car spins.

All actions of the driver are monitored by an internal computer. From startup and into lower speed the car is essentially driven using the electric motor. If computer feels that you want to accelerate faster it will immediately kick in the gasoline engine to provide you the power that you need. At the same the electric motor is now acting like a generator and recharging the battery in your car.

The electric motor also assists the gasoline engine when needed. This explains why most engines found on hybrid cars are smaller since they eliminate the need for highpowered ones that consume a lot of gas. As you slow down the power is again shifted to the electric motors until you reach to a full stop.

The results

Most hybrid drivers immediately notice the absence of the common engine noise that they get used to when starting up and when kicking into high gear. This is because of the fact that the electric motors are generally quitters plus the gasoline engines used are smaller. The tandem also proves to be beneficial by reducing the wear and tear on the gasoline engine adding more to its durability.

Reduced emissions on noise and air pollutants generally make hybrid cars more environment friendly. Though most people are concerned about the batteries and how they discarded nickel metal hydride NiMH can actually be fully recycled. Car companies such as the frontrunner Toyota as well as Honda also provide clear assistance in disposing of the batteries being used by their cars.

Admittedly the main reason why a lot of drivers are going hybrid is the surprisingly positive fuel mileage of a hybrid car. Recent EPA numbers show that the top two hybrid cars in the market get more than 40 miles per gallon while driving in the city. The Toyota Prius gets 48 mpg while the Honda Civics nets 40 mpg. Highway driving nets both cars 45 mpg not that bad when paired with normal cars with bigger engines. This is again attributed to the fact that the fuel consumption is only used when driving at higher speed.

It is undeniable that hybrid cars are the future of the auto industry. With more and more consumers becoming concerned about mileage and the environment we will be seeing more and more hybrid cars trek your local roads.

About the writer:  Mark Robinson writes for AutoLoans.GuideFin.com. Visit his website for information about car loans for people with bad credit.

What Can Be Done About The High Gas Prices?

We’ve all watched them over the past several months and the gas prices just continue to get higher and higher. So what can we do? We don’t want to be dependent on foreign oil anymore so the option of walking riding a bicycle etc is only a temporary solution to our problem. However there are two viable solutions. One is to purchase a hybrid hydrogen or water powered car. The second is to convert your current vehicle into a water powered car. This solution is probably the least expensive of the two solutions. There are several kits on the market which will enable you to convert you vehicle into a water powered vehicle. You will need to make sure you purchase your kit from a reputable dealer. The kits are simple to install and is just as easy to remove should you want to revert back to gas powered.

The first water powered car was created in 1805 before the creation of gasoline came about in the 1870s. So t he technology for water powered cars has been around for over two centuries. Because the creators have all met with some untimely deaths t here are speculations as to why and who.

It has been reported by those who are driving the water powered cars their gas mileage has increased by 100. This is just one of the many benefits of the water powered car. These cars also produce and emit less carcinogens in the air than their gas powered counterparts. Using water powered cars are environmentally friendly. It we release fewer and fewer carcinogens the air will be cleaner the ozone will heal and global warming will cease. One of the other benefits to using water as fuel in our vehicles is the fact these cars are very quiet and have no vibrations when they are running. Also you might want to remember that hydrogen is the most plentiful element on this earth because it is in the form of water.

If you are skeptical as to whether or not water powered cars actually work some truck drivers have already converted their trucks to use water as fuel. The freight trucks do a lot of traveling. Our stores would not have any products on their shelves if the freight trucks did not bring them merchandise. The freight trucks are the lifeline of this country. Life would be much harder on us if the freight trucks stop running. Some models of cars have been made to use water as fuel. So the idea is becoming more and more popular.

About the writer:  Ray Subs works with Water Powered Cars as a public relations consultant more information about Ray Subs can be found at http://www.waterpoweredcars.com/http://www.waterpoweredcars.com/

Volvos Safety Inside Safety Outside Gives C70 Top Safety Pick Award

The Volvo C70 was recently given the Top Safety Pick award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety IIHS. The C70 is Volvos entry into the convertible segment of the auto market. The IIHS gave the distinction to the C70 because of its good scores in front rear and side crash tests. The convertible is also equipped with an electronic stability program ESP which is a requirement for a vehicle to be given the Top Safety Pick distinction.

The award was made possible by Volvos dedication to building safe cars under their Safety Inside Safety Outside policy. The said strategy made the C70 an exemplary vehicle in terms of safety. Since its introduction in the U.S market in 2006 the convertible has already set the standard in vehicle safety. It is loaded with safety features designed specially for a convertible. This host of safety features includes the Inflatable Curtain which is designed to protect the occupants of the vehicle in cases of side collisions.

The Safety Inside strategy used by Volvo in the C70 includes safety features designed to protect the vehicles occupants during crashes. The Inflatable Curtain IC is the most notable Safety Inside feature that the C70 boasts of. The side curtain airbags are mounted on the door since placing it on the roof panel is impractical and the side curtain airbags will be useless once the roof is lowered.

According to Volvo the IC can adequately protect the upper extremities of a human body. It is also designed to deflate slowly as an added protection to the occupants of the vehicle should the vehicle roll over.

Front seat passengers are also protected with side curtain airbags which is designed to cover the hip and chest areas of the person sitting in the front passenger seat. The side impact airbags complements the pretensioner seatbelts. All four seats of the C70 are equipped with pretensioning seatbelts.

As far as Safety Outside is concerned the C70 is designed with the same car architecture as the S40. The Volvo C70 is built with different grades of steel to maximize the amount of energy to be absorbed during collisions. The effectiveness of this vehicle architecture technology is proven by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety when it gave the C70 a good rating in frontal crash protection.

Not only is the Volvo C70 safe from front collision it is also designed to protect its occupants properly in cases of rear collision. According to Volvo the C70 is equipped with a large horseshoeshaped member found directly behind the rear seats. This component according to the Swedish car manufacturer is responsible in absorbing the impact from rear collision.

To increase the protection of the occupants of the C70 in cases of rear end collision the C70 is equipped with the Rollover Protection System popup bars. These are deployed behind the head of the passengers and the drivers. The aim of this safety feature is to protect the occupants from being hit by flying objects from the rear of the car.

These safety features complements the various engine and other automotive system components such as the Volvo valve cover gasket to make the C70 a strong competitor in its segment.

About the writer:  Glady Reign is a 32 year old is a consultant for an automotive firm based in Detroit Mi. she is a native of the motor city and grew up around cars hence her expertise in the automotive field.