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The Pros And Cons Of Hybrid Vehicles

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Abstract
The Hybrid vehicle concept nowadays is on the path of becoming one of the brightest stars in the foreseeable future. Environmental issues that beset the world today such as Global Warming, entail many long-term negative effects which in turn, must not only be solved through short-term solutions but also be countered with long-term solutions that will benefit not just the future of society, but the future of planet earth and the well-being of its inhabitants. In response to this global crisis, various industries and institutions are now searching for alternative energy sources such as the Hybrid vehicle. The Hybrid vehicle seeks to reduce carbon emissions and reliance on petroleum and diesel by substituting majority of the powertrain …show more content…

Toyota introduced the first modern production hybrid vehicle, the Prius in Japan in 1997, and Toyota and Honda introduced hybrids to the US in 1999 and 2000. Both manufacturers use the same hybrid powertrain design, an input power-split system.
Fuel economy
Hybrid systems can increase fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions by 35%. The precise reduction varies with the technology and capability of the system. The reduction can be hard to quantify as there is no direct comparable non-hybrid vehicle. A study done by Vincentric on October 2014 which compared 31 hybrids to the closest non-hybrids provides a direct comparison of the efficiency benefits and cost of hybrid systems.
Basics of Hybrid vehicle technology
A traditional vehicle has a mechanical drive train which includes combustion engine, fuel tank, gearbox, transmission and the wheels. A Hybrid vehicle has two drive trains a mechanical and an electric. The electric drivetrain includes a battery and an electric motor. In principle these two drivetrains should be connected together sharing some components such as transmission and

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