What Is a Hybrid Car and How Does It Work? [Video] Explanation Included

Fossil fuels are about to run dry and it is wiser to opt for vehicles that can use other forms of energy. It is not exactly feasible to that on a day to day basis right now. So the compromise, for now, is a hybrid car.

So what exactly is a hybrid car?

We will answer just that in the course of this article.

A regular car uses an internal combustion engine as its source of energy. This energy comes from burning fossil fuels. There are electrical systems on board a car but all of these also run from power derived from the engine.

Hybrid cars, on the other hand, have an electric motor that runs in conjunction with the petrol or diesel engine. An electric motor is much more efficient. Normally there are gaps in the power delivery of a car like when changing gears. The electric motor can provide power during these phases so that the car doesn’t lose its drive consequently not requiring more energy to bring it back up to speed.

The low-end hybrid gets all their drive from an electric motor which is supplied with electricity from a generator powered by an internal combustion engine. Mid-end hybrid cars will offer the choice of either running in petrol or diesel mode and electric mode. Some even offer the option of using both modes for an extra boost in performance.

High-end sports hybrid cars almost always use both the system together at all times to make the car go even faster and accelerate a lot quicker.

How hybrid cars work video explanation

Some examples of hybrid cars

Honda, Lexus, Prius, Ford, Acura, McLaren P1, LaFerrari, Porche 918.

In the future, all cars will have to run on electricity or some other mode of energy. Hybrid cars are a step in the right direction and contrary to popular belief, these cars are as fun if not more fun to drive when compared to a regular car powered by just an internal combustion engine. Happy driving!