Updated 03/16/05 - The hybrid automobile is a new concept with enormous potential. This article will increase your basic understanding of the technology.

In the late 1990's, two vehicle manufacturers invested in separate ventures to revive a technology first tested in 1905 by H. Piper, an American engineer. Honda and Toyota soon shocked car enthusiasts with the first ever modern gas-electric hybrid automobiles. The idea was simple: reduce the work of a combustion engine by assisting it with an electric motor. The resultant environmentally friendly, high-mileage, potentially powerful combination is quickly becoming a part of the mainstream market.

The Basics

A hybrid automobile is characterized by two components: a gasoline-powed engine and an electric motor.

The electric motor (powered by the battery) assists the engine during acceleration. During so-called stealth mode, the motor is the sole propulsion for the automobile, resulting in silent cruising. During natural deceleration, braking, or when the engine provides excess power, energy usually lost in the form of heat is instead stored in the battery in a process called regenerative braking.

Through high efficiency, hybrid electric vehicles receive 100% of their power through gasoline but are still capable of achieving twice the mileage of a traditional car without ever having to be "plugged in." Targetted at high-pollution areas, these vehicles also produce just a fraction of the harmful emissions of the average car.

Full hybrid systems (including Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive) are capable of propelling the vehicle with the engine, the motor or both simultaneously. Mild hybrid systems (including Honda's Integrated Motor Assist) are capable of shutting down multiple cylinders in the engine, but must otherwise stay on while in motion. The motor acts as a complement rather than a replacement in this case. Some hybrids, like the first such pickups by General Motors, receive zero acceleration assistance from the electrical system. The engine is simply capable of shutting off when the car comes to a stop.

The introduction of the 2004 Toyota Prius was said to be the first such automobile with "no compromise." The Honda Insight had boasted sky-high mileage by trading away size, power, features and comfort; the Honda Civic Hybrid provided little power, either. With performance comparable to those of a 4-cylinder Camry, however, fuel economy ratings compariable to only a handful of vehicles and high-tech features otherwise only available in luxury cars, the second-generation Prius proved that the hybrid combination could indeed be an upgrade.

The 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid is the first model to dwarf its non-hybrid counterparts in performance. The 255 net horsepower system is significantly more powerful than other the Accord models.

As of mid-2005, hybrids include the Insight, Civic, Prius, Accord, Escape, RX400h and Highlander (as well as custom fleet vehicles and the Estima in Europe). Manufacturers are scrambling to develop their own technologies. It is evident that in the years to come, hybrid-electric vehicles will hold their territory in the marketplace as the meanest, greenest automobiles of them all.

Quick Glossary

Gas-Electric Hybrid - An automobile that utilizes a combination of a combustion engine and an electric motor in order to achieve high energy efficiency. Engine - The mechanism that converts gasoline into usable energy. Motor - The battery-powered unit that propels the vehicle. Stealth Mode - The state in which the car engine is off while moving. Regenerative Braking- The process in which energy that would otherwise be wasted is recaptured and saved in a battery for future use. Full Hybrid - Characterized as capable of propelling the vehicle with the engine, the motor or both simultaneously. Hybrid Synergy Drive - Developed from the original Toyota Hybrid System of the first-generation Prius, HSD is a full hybrid system equipped on the Prius II, Highlander and RX 400h (as of mid-2005). Mild Hybrid - Characterized as requiring the engine to remain on while the vehicle is in motion, though it may shut down when stopped. Integrated Motor Assist - A mild hybrid system applied on Honda automobiles, IMA carries a "less is more" philosophy.