The term Hybrid is defined as something which is a mixture of two very different things. In the automobile industry, hybrid cars are vehicles that are powered by both, a gasoline engine and an electric motor. Hybrid cars are of three types i.e mild hybrids , full hybrids and plug-in hybrids. In developing countries where people are still afraid of switching to EV ( Electric Vehicle ) completely , Hybrid cars are the way out as they are the meeting point of petrol/gasoline engines and electric engines.
Types of Hybrid Cars :-
Hybrid Engines are of three types i.e Mild Hybrid , Full Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid.
- MILD HYBRID :-
Mild Hybrid cars do not require plug in . They carry a smaller set of batteries than full hybrid cars. Mild Hybrid cars work on regular fuel engine and regenerative braking i.e the batteries get power from the released energy of brakes . They are not completely environment friendly but consumes a little less fuel as compared to regular gas engines .
WHAT IS REGENERATIVE BRAKING ?
2. FULL HYBRID :-
Similar to Mild hybrids , Full Hybrids also consist of both gas engines and electric motors and do not require external power source for charging . Gas engine is only used to charge the battery pack while the electric motor provides all the thrust required by the vehicle which means it works more like an Electric Vehicle .
3. PLUG-IN HYBRID :-
Plug-in Hybrid cars require external source for charging . They have a larger battery pack which requires external charging and work exactly like Electric Vehicles . Once the power from batteries start diminishing they use energy from fuel engines . Plug-in Hybrids are the most fuel efficient and environment friendly of all hybrid engines.
BENEFITS OF HYBRID ENGINES :-
- Hybrid Engines use gas engine and electric motor both for transmission so they are more fuel efficient than a regular gas engine .
- Hybrid engines are more environment friendly than a regular engine as they consume less fuel and work mostly on electricity which is a cleaner source of energy.
- Not every one is lucky enough to change their old cars with new ones every now and then . Buying a car is still a major investment for most people out there , so they opt for the pre owned ones. Hybrid cars provide a greater resale value as people are now switching to more environment friendly options .
Reference :-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_vehicle
