Buying the Best Green Car
about buying the best green car for you
Hybrid vehicles
A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) has both a conventional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) together with a rechargeable battery (RESS).
The hybrid vehicle can use the engine for travelling at speed, and switch to battery power when in slow traffic or when stationary in traffic. The battery can also be recharged when the vehicle is running on the internal combustion engine. This achieves a better fuel economy than that achieved with a conventional vehicle, and results in less pollutants being emitted whilst the vehicle is in slow traffic or continually stopping and starting driving.
A hybrid vehicle can also reclaim kinetic energy when braking by using this energy to recharge the battery (a process known as regenerative braking).
A full hybrid uses the engine in normal traffic conditions and uses the battery powered electric motor in stationary and slow moving traffic.
A stop/start hybrid shuts down the engine when the vehicle is stopped, and restarts it when the driver presses the accelerator. The battery is only used to keep everything on standby waiting for the driver to press the accelerator.