Super Eco

Photo credit: mujitra on Flickr

In a hybrid engine, two or more power sources are used to make it run; usually these power sources are used alternatively. Hybrid fuel technology makes use of petroleum or biofuel, in addition to electricity, hydrogen fuel cells, steam, solar power, coal, or even human power (i.e. pedaling), among many other possibilities. Typically, however, hybrid fuel technology refers to the gas-electric hybrid made famous in the Toyota Prius. These automobiles combine a conventional combustion engine with a rechargeable electric storage system; in essence, a big rechargeable battery. Ideally, when hybrid fuel engines are running on gas, the combustion engine will power an electric generator, recharging the battery on the go. Other methods of recapturing energy include "regenerative braking" (which converts kinetic energy into electricity) and turning some of the "waste energy" from the exhaust pipe into electricity, called a Rankine cycle generator.

Hybrid fuel technology has a number of environmental benefits, though its financial benefits have been challenged due to the comparatively high up-front costs of hybrid vehicles (though those benefits are highly dependent on the cost of fuel and can only be calculated accurately in the past). These benefits include:

• Reduced fuel consumption. In a hybrid vehicle, the combustion engine is typically turned off while the car is idling; and many hybrid cars can operate on electric power alone for many miles. In addition, recaptured energy directly reduces fuel consumption.
• Less greenhouse gas emissions. Both because of the elimination of the idling engine and the reduced use of fuel and combustion, hybrid vehicles emit less pollution than conventional vehicles.
• Noise reduction. Hybrid fuel technology is (usually) much quieter than pure combustion engines.

Concerns

Critics of hybrid fuel technology point to the batteries used in fuel-electric engine. Rechargeable nickel cadmium batteries are toxic hazards if deposed of improperly, though car manufacturers have committed to recycling them safely; while nickle metal hydride batteries, or NiMH, are the modern choice and are considered environmentally benign.