Hybrid cars

Below is a list of hybrid cars, modern hybrid vehicles were 1st developed in the late 1990's with the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight. A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more types of power sources, usually a gasoline engine or ICE linked with an electric engine. Basically you get the benefits of hybrid vehicles without the additional cost of fuel and pollution from a standard gas guzzler. There are also some disadvantages of hybrid vehicles but over time these will diminish as production rises due to increased demand and they become more mainstream.

Most people think that hybrids need to be plugged in to charge up but that is not the case, the gasoline engine charges the batteries when needed and regenerative braking also charges the batteries.

The most fuel efficient hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) to date is the Toyota Prius which achieves approx. 50 mpg (pictured). Although with the release of the Chevy Volt later in 2010, which is technically a hybrid because it has two fuel sources, electric and gasoline only to charge the batteries. Chevy hybrid vehicles may take over from Toyota as the best selling hybrid.

Here is a list of hybrid vehicles, the most common are:

Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Honda Insight, Honda CR-Z hybrid, Honda Civic hybrid, Lexus RX 400h and 450h, Chevrolet Tahoe, Mercury Milan, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Silverado, Cadillac Escalade, Saturn Aura and more.

The history of the hybrid vehicle dates back to the late 1800's when the very first hybrid vehicle was invented by Ferdinand Porsche who's name is still carried on with hybrids with the 918 Spyder.

Who makes hybrid vehicles?

Who makes hybrid vehicles, well the list is growing each month, the car makers actually producing hybrids currently in 2010 include Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Ford, GM, Nissan, and Mazda. Toyota have previously said they plan to have a hybrid version of each vehicle in their full model range by 2015. Volkswagen currently have a number of concept / trial hybrid vehicles, with their 1st release of a production Volkswagen hybrid expected in 2012.

There are also hybrid car kits available if you have the time available but don't want to spend the money on purchasing a factory delivered hybrid vehicle. These hybrid kits vary from a full vehicle kit to an aftermarket add on hybrid kit.

Finally which is the best hybrid car?

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