Introduction
Hybrid technology is present in everyday life. People may not realize that the car sitting at the stoplight beside them is a hybrid. Hybrids look very similar to the combustion vehicles that most people drive on a daily basis. Many of the hybrids that are seen on the road are the “conventional” hybrids that many people know some, but very little, about. J.D. Power and Associates conducted a survey which found that 72 percent of the people would like to have hybrid technology in their next car assuming they knew the cost benefits/downfalls of the car (Murray). This was up from 2005 by 14 percent (Murray). Some people may say, “Well what about ethanol?” While ethanol is an alternative fuel, it is not a hybrid. Reasons being are that E85 is used in internal combustion engines and it does not really improve gas mileage even though it is better for the environment and fossil fuels are not being used up in its creation.
The most common hybrid is that of the electrical motor and internal combustion combination. The electrical motor gets the car moving and then the internal combustion motor takes over. Within the next years, new forms of hybrids will be hitting the streets, not only for the consumer but also for government and public services, such as garbage trucks and UPS (Ogando). This paper will explore and explain hybrid technology with a purpose of exposing the facts about hybrids for people to learn and become more informed about them.
Why would people be concerned or even interested in hybrid technology? The people that would be concerned with it are those looking into purchasing one. There may be multiple reasons for this including better gas mileage or concern for the environment. What is for certain is that people do not feel informed enough to make a good decision. If one were to go to a dealership, is it possible that they would find out the bad parts about a hybrid? Probably not, due to the fact that dealerships want to sell cars and seeing the cons may turn people off to them. How many times are there shows on television about hybrid technology? There really isn’t a way to find information on hybrids apart from using the internet.