You have heard about them, possibly have seen their commercials but do you really understand how the hybrid car works and what its value is?
Hybrid cars are becoming more and more popular to a variety of people for a variety of reasons. The ecologically conscious can appreciate the ultra low emissions and amazing fuel economy, while the economically conscious can appreciate the low depreciation and great savings at the pump.
Here are some quick facts about the Hybrid Car:
• Lower fuel emissions help to curb the infamous "Greenhouse Effect."
• Hybrid cars are in high demand, and because of this, they hold their value much better than most gasoline automobiles.
• Burning fossil fuel releases potentially harmful pollutants, but reducing the amount of fuel that needs to be burned may allow the environment to dispose of these pollutants by natural means.
• Hybrid cars offer huge savings at the pump. Switching from the average sedan to the average hybrid could save the driver over 500 dollars a year!
• Hybrid car technology has been accepted as a solution for the automobile pollution problems of the day.
• The United States government has supported hybrid car ownership by allowing a tax write off. In 2005, this rebate may be as high as $5000!
• While it is true that hybrid cars do have expensive parts, they also have warranties that provide free replacement of the most expensive parts for many years.
• Though hybrid cars have not been on the US market for very long, they have been sold in Japan since 1997. Some consumers worry that hybrid cars may not last as long as other cars, but it is not abnormal for a hybrid car to run like new when it has 250,000 miles on it. The best part - hybrid cars don't require any more maintenance than gasoline cars.
• Hybrid cars aren't a fad. Nearly every major automobile manufacturer has announced either the launch of a hybrid car or plans for a launch. A large part of this is due to the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) regulation, by which an automaker must maintain a minimum mileage of 27.5mpg across its product line. By investing in hybrid technology, they can offer faster, larger engines in the rest of their line.
How does the hybrid car work? A hybrid car is a passenger vehicle that is driven by a hybrid engine, which is any engine that combines two or more sources of power, generally gasoline and electricity. There are two types of gasoline-electric hybrid cars; the parallel hybrid, and the series hybrid. Both use gasoline-electric hybrid technology, but in radically different ways.
In a parallel hybrid car, a gasoline engine and an electric motor work together to move the car forward, while in a series hybrid, the gasoline engine either directly powers an electric motor that powers the vehicle, or charges batteries that will power the motor. Both types of hybrids also use a process called regenerative braking to store the kinetic energy generated by brake use in the batteries, which will in turn power the electric motor.
Both parallel and series hybrids have small gasoline engines, and produce much less pollution than standard gasoline cars, but also produce much less power - hybrids generally produce between 60-90 horsepower, while the average gasoline engine probably produces about double that. To overcome this power gap, hybrid cars are constructed with ultra lightweight materials like carbon fiber or aluminum. Hybrid cars are also designed to be more aerodynamic than most cars, allowing them to "slice" through air instead of pushing it out of the way.
All these factors combined equate to a super efficient form of car that gets excellent fuel economy and helps the environment by cutting down on pollution. What are you waiting for?
About the Author
Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the bad credit car dealers in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Hydrogen Powered Vehicles Home Kits
Home kits can now convert cars to run on water, known as hydrofuel.
Hydrogen fuel powered vehicles were thought to be the preserve of large automobile companies, but things are changing. It may appear fanciful to expect to be able to convert your car from gas to water yourself but that is, in fact, a reality nowadays. There are now a number of manuals and kits available at little initial cost, for example, the HydroStar system. Once the vehicle has been converted to run on water, you can rest content that you are benefiting the environment whilst paying a fraction of your previous fuel bills.
Many people have been skeptical about whether a water fueled conversion system actually works. So, let's take a look at the mechanics of such a system. A standard vehicle engine is converted to operate entirely on hydrogen and oxygen, generated by the electrolysis of water. No petroleum derived fuel or external electrical production unit is employed, or needed in any way. Water is the single by-product of the combustion of hydrogen and oxygen in the vehicle's engine. This water is then released through the exhaust system; no more nasty carbon monoxide emissions, just pure water. All that's required for such a system is a little know-how, a few cheap tools and regular access to water; not a problem for most householders. There are also claims that the combustion system will also remove pollution from the air intake. It doesn't get much greener than that.
So what is water electrolysis and how does it actually work? Well, water electrolysis is simply the breaking down of water into its basic hydrogen and oxygen atoms by passing an electrical current through it. It really is as straightforward as that, although different methods have different efficiency levels. It is not even necessary to introduce an electrolyte like acid to the water to assist electrical conductivity. Normal water from the tap is all that's needed. Until recently, the problem with a water electrolysis system was that the electrical energy required to perform the electrolysis exceeded the energy produced from the combustion of the oxygen and hydrogen. In other words, while it may have been a cleaner way of running a vehicle, it was thoroughly inefficient and wasteful of valuable energy.
But nowadays, systems such as the HydroStar employ modules which produce low voltage, specifically shaped electronic pulses of unique frequency and duration. (It may be of interest to some readers to note that this type of electronic technology, involving specific combinations of pulse frequency and duration, is now starting to be used in medicine to cure migraine, depression and other nervous disorders.) Modules used for vehicles keep overall power consumption low, low enough in fact for a vehicle's alternator to power it and leave enough surplus power for headlights and other electrical requirements.
It is difficult to establish the precise efficiency of such systems. That will depend on factors such as how well the system is fitted, vehicle aerodynamics and weight, and how the vehicle is driven. It goes without saying that if the claims of up to 300 miles per gallon of water are even remotely accurate, efficiency ratings become redundant when you consider the price of a gallon of tap water. As far as the vehicle's performance is concerned, there should be little change as the same factory-fitted combustion engine is employed. Hydrogen fuel powered vehicles are by their nature safer than using gasoline. A hydrogen fuel system is predominantly water with just a very small amount of hydrogen stored in the generator, while a gasoline system requires great amounts of combustible gas stored in a gas tank.
A hydrogen fuel conversion system is also extremely versatile, requiring no alterations to a vehicle's existing gasoline powered system. Indeed, it is possible to switch back to the gas system any time a consumer may wish without any hassle. The choice is always in the hands of the owner. Say you encounter a problem with your hydrogen fuel system, you can simply switch back to gas while the hydrogen fuel problem is rectified.
Hydrogen fuel conversion systems can be used for more than just cars and trucks. Pretty much any home appliance using propane or natural gas is a candidate. The power supply will need to be converted to 12V DC, but that's very easy and inexpensive to do. (Or simply buy a cheap converter.) Think about a system that uses maybe one dollar a month in electricity powering appliances, stoves, furnaces, barbecue grills and the like right throughout your home.
Whether for automotive or home use, systems are fairly easy to assemble and install. Practical, step-by-step, hydrogen fuel system guides are readily available and cheap to purchase. No specialist tools are needed, although a little practice at electronic soldering may be advisable. But even that is relatively easy. An oscilloscope could be handy to test for efficiency and make adjustments, but it's certainly not a prerequisite.
So, running a vehicle and numerous other appliances on water really is that simple. Try TechnoBlog for more technical details and sources of information.
About the Author
Tim keeps a regularly updated technical blog at TechnoBlog .
Hydrogen fuel powered vehicles were thought to be the preserve of large automobile companies, but things are changing. It may appear fanciful to expect to be able to convert your car from gas to water yourself but that is, in fact, a reality nowadays. There are now a number of manuals and kits available at little initial cost, for example, the HydroStar system. Once the vehicle has been converted to run on water, you can rest content that you are benefiting the environment whilst paying a fraction of your previous fuel bills.
Many people have been skeptical about whether a water fueled conversion system actually works. So, let's take a look at the mechanics of such a system. A standard vehicle engine is converted to operate entirely on hydrogen and oxygen, generated by the electrolysis of water. No petroleum derived fuel or external electrical production unit is employed, or needed in any way. Water is the single by-product of the combustion of hydrogen and oxygen in the vehicle's engine. This water is then released through the exhaust system; no more nasty carbon monoxide emissions, just pure water. All that's required for such a system is a little know-how, a few cheap tools and regular access to water; not a problem for most householders. There are also claims that the combustion system will also remove pollution from the air intake. It doesn't get much greener than that.
So what is water electrolysis and how does it actually work? Well, water electrolysis is simply the breaking down of water into its basic hydrogen and oxygen atoms by passing an electrical current through it. It really is as straightforward as that, although different methods have different efficiency levels. It is not even necessary to introduce an electrolyte like acid to the water to assist electrical conductivity. Normal water from the tap is all that's needed. Until recently, the problem with a water electrolysis system was that the electrical energy required to perform the electrolysis exceeded the energy produced from the combustion of the oxygen and hydrogen. In other words, while it may have been a cleaner way of running a vehicle, it was thoroughly inefficient and wasteful of valuable energy.
But nowadays, systems such as the HydroStar employ modules which produce low voltage, specifically shaped electronic pulses of unique frequency and duration. (It may be of interest to some readers to note that this type of electronic technology, involving specific combinations of pulse frequency and duration, is now starting to be used in medicine to cure migraine, depression and other nervous disorders.) Modules used for vehicles keep overall power consumption low, low enough in fact for a vehicle's alternator to power it and leave enough surplus power for headlights and other electrical requirements.
It is difficult to establish the precise efficiency of such systems. That will depend on factors such as how well the system is fitted, vehicle aerodynamics and weight, and how the vehicle is driven. It goes without saying that if the claims of up to 300 miles per gallon of water are even remotely accurate, efficiency ratings become redundant when you consider the price of a gallon of tap water. As far as the vehicle's performance is concerned, there should be little change as the same factory-fitted combustion engine is employed. Hydrogen fuel powered vehicles are by their nature safer than using gasoline. A hydrogen fuel system is predominantly water with just a very small amount of hydrogen stored in the generator, while a gasoline system requires great amounts of combustible gas stored in a gas tank.
A hydrogen fuel conversion system is also extremely versatile, requiring no alterations to a vehicle's existing gasoline powered system. Indeed, it is possible to switch back to the gas system any time a consumer may wish without any hassle. The choice is always in the hands of the owner. Say you encounter a problem with your hydrogen fuel system, you can simply switch back to gas while the hydrogen fuel problem is rectified.
Hydrogen fuel conversion systems can be used for more than just cars and trucks. Pretty much any home appliance using propane or natural gas is a candidate. The power supply will need to be converted to 12V DC, but that's very easy and inexpensive to do. (Or simply buy a cheap converter.) Think about a system that uses maybe one dollar a month in electricity powering appliances, stoves, furnaces, barbecue grills and the like right throughout your home.
Whether for automotive or home use, systems are fairly easy to assemble and install. Practical, step-by-step, hydrogen fuel system guides are readily available and cheap to purchase. No specialist tools are needed, although a little practice at electronic soldering may be advisable. But even that is relatively easy. An oscilloscope could be handy to test for efficiency and make adjustments, but it's certainly not a prerequisite.
So, running a vehicle and numerous other appliances on water really is that simple. Try TechnoBlog for more technical details and sources of information.
About the Author
Tim keeps a regularly updated technical blog at TechnoBlog .
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