I Want Better Gas Mileage

A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that can run on one source and another source together. With the gasoline prices skyrocketing these days, the growing pollution concern, and the greenhouse effect menace growing rapidly, it is time now to replace the older gasoline engines with the new generation hybrid engines. If you’re worried about your car’s contribution to these global concerns of pollution, then you should seriously think about converting the existing gasoline engine into a hybrid engine, or buy a new hybrid engine for your old car.

The good news is that the automobile industry already has the newer engines manufactured and tested. The answer to the pollution and greenhouse effect is the hybrid car. In that respect, there are a lot of hybrid models in the market these days, and most automobile makers have announced plans to manufacture their own variations. This competition will definitely produce better hybrid engines producing minimal greenhouse effects and pollution, and also save the precious gasoline and diesel fuel.

How does the hybrid technology work for automobiles?

Hybrid vehicles were being used before by the people. The mo-ped (a motorized pedal bike) has the same type of hybrid technology used as it combines the power of a gasoline engine with the pedal power (mechanical energy) of its rider.

The locomotives engines are good examples of great hybrid engines. They are diesel-electric hybrids. Then a few cities in the United States have buses running on electric-diesel hybrid technology. These buses draw power from the overhead electric wires, and then run on diesel when they are away from the electric wires. We also find those giant mining trucks and other engines running on the diesel-electric hybrid engines.

The submarines and the giant naval vessels are good examples of hybrid engines, running on either diesel-electric or nuclear-electric hybrid engines. These are good examples of the hybrid technology that has worked magnificently before and now can be used to power the automobile for the masses.

Any vehicle that has the combination of two or more sources of power that can directly or indirectly supply propulsion power is a hybrid vehicle. Most hybrid cars on the road right now are gasoline-electric hybrids. Peugeot Citroen has two diesel-electric hybrid cars on their design boards.

The gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle has a specially manufactured hybrid engine and transmission technology which significantly increases the mileage of the vehicle and also minimizes the emission of a gasoline-powered vehicle. With the hybrid technology, the fuel economy is more enhanced and the pollution concerns are well controlled. As the engines are comparatively smaller, the vehicle becomes lighter and less fuel is required to pull the vehicle itself. The electric power helps the gasoline power to produce the extra speed required to travel uphill. The advanced aerodynamic structure reduces the aerodynamic drag on the vehicle, producing greater fuel economy.

A hybrid engine thus produces better gas mileage, thus improving fuel-economy, and produce minimal tail-pipe emissions that are harmful to humans as well as to the nature.

Hybrid vehicles are better equipped to save fuel. Apart from being light-weight and has an efficient fuel system, the hybrid vehicle utilizes many tricks to increase the fuel efficiency. While some of these tricks can help any type of vehicle to produce better fuel efficiency, the hybrid vehicle is best equipped to produce better Gas Mileage. To extract maximum output out of a gallon of gasoline, a hybrid vehicle can:

• Recover the exhausting energy and re-store it in the accompanying battery - It works this way: Whenever you apply the brake pedal in your vehicle, some energy is expelled from the vehicle. A fast-moving vehicle produces more kinetic energy. When you apply the brakes, this kinetic energy is removed and heat is produced. A hybrid engine can capture this heat and store it back in the batteries to use it later. The electric motor slows the vehicle when the brakes are applied and this electric motor acts like a generator to charge the batteries while the vehicle slows down.
• A hybrid engine does not require the gasoline engine continuously while the vehicle is in motion. It utilizes the electric motor and batteries at certain times and thus saves precious gasoline. The hybrid, for example, uses the electric power at the red light, stops the gasoline engine and saves fuel.
• With the advent of modern computers, the structural changes of the vehicle have vastly improved. Aerodynamic designs of the vehicle produces less drag on the vehicle, called the aerodynamic drag, and enhances fuel saving. The outer body is designed in such a way that there are few objects, compared to the older vehicles, to disturb the optimum airflow, thus producing minimal aerodynamic drag on the vehicle.
• The vehicle itself uses better alloys that are stronger and lighter in weight. This reduction in the vehicle’s weight, while preserving the strength of the vehicle, increases fuel economy. Hybrid vehicles also uses special type of tires that are stronger and inflated at higher pressure to produces less drag and better road grip and smoother ride. In this way, the low-resistance and smoother ride produces excellent gas mileage with the hybrid design enhanced by the modern technology.
• An electric-gasoline hybrid engine has two power sources. In some vehicles, the combination is used as a parallel hybrid. The vehicle has a fuel tank that supplies gasoline to the engine, while the set of batteries supply power to the electric motor. The engine and the electric motor turn the transmission at the same time and this transmission turns the wheels.
• In a series hybrid engine, the gasoline engine turns a generator, and the generator can either charge the batteries or power an electric motor that drives the transmission. The gasoline engine never directly gives power to the vehicle.
• Thus, the hybrid car design utilizes two sources of power and gives us a great vehicle which is not only a safer car, but also saves our natural resources - the gasoline. This hybrid technology is the immediately available answer to the global pollution.

It’s hard to believe in today’s economy, but some people won’t put anything less than premium gasoline in their cars.  They feel that their car runs better on premium, and that it’s ultimately worth the 10 or 20 cents more than regular unleaded that it costs them.

But is it true that spending extra on gas mileage can actually be good for your car?  With gas prices at a record high, is it ever a good idea to opt for the more expensive premium? The answer is “Yes… sometimes.”

There are only a few situations where your car actually needs premium.  But in those few circumstances, it’s a must-have - using anything else can damage your engine.  On the other hand, using premium when you don’t need it won’t hurt your car – but it will hurt your budget.

To determine if your car needs premium gas, you need to know about the anti-knock index (AKI) or octane rating.  You’ve probably seen these numbers on the buttons at the gas pumps, but how many of you know what they actually mean? Regular unleaded has an AKI of 87; premium has a rating of 91 to 93.  The higher the number, the more protection the gasoline gives your car from engine knock.

Engine knock is more accurately called “pre-ignition.” It takes place when the gasoline in the cylinder ignites on its own before the spark plug ignites it.  The sound of it is unmistakable – something like marbles being shaken in a tin can. Knocking will eventually cause damage to the engine, since it’s essentially an explosion of the fuel and air mixing together and pushing downward on the piston.  Premium gas helps prevent this damage because it’s less volatile and burns more slowly than unleaded, and it takes more heat before it starts the ignition process.

So how do you know if your car needs the more expensive premium brand? Here’s how to find out:

1) If your car makes a knocking sound when you press down on the gas pedal, you might try experimenting with premium.  If the knocking disappears, then you know that you need premium. If your car has a lot of miles on it and the engine has a considerable amount of carbon deposits, it’s more likely to require premium gas.

2) Many times, your car’s owner’s manual will settle the question for you. If it says that you must use premium, then that’s what you’ll have to use. However, if it leaves the option to you, or does not specify, you’ll have to figure out on your own whether to try a higher octane gas.

3) If your only reason for using premium is to keep your engine clean, think again.  The higher octane of premium fuel, in and of itself, will not keep your engine any cleaner – despite what the oil companies want you to think. They frequently advertise that their gasoline is designed to clean fuel injectors, restore engine power, and offer other benefits.  However, there is little evidence that fuel additives do much in the way of cleaning your engine – there’s just not enough of the cleaner in there to make that much of a difference.

So the bottom line is, with gas prices so high, now’s not the time to experiment with higher cost fuels.  Save yourself a little extra money and stick with unleaded unless you know that your car needs something a little better.