With growing global concern about climate change, and with OPEC successfully driving up oil prices, the auto industry is under the gun to produce cars with far lower emissions and much higher fuel economy. A decade ago, many thought electric cars would be the answer. But consumers never seemed to accept the limited range that battery powered cars provided. They were a flop everywhere in the world. So now several automakers believe that hybrid-electric vehicles are going to be the answer.
Hybrids use a combination of batteries and a small gasoline engine.
The engine can recharge the batteries, so they have very good driving range. When you start up a hybrid and begin driving, it feeds electric power from a battery pack to an electric motor that delivers power to the front wheels. After the car is moving, the gasoline engine kicks in. When you slow down and start to brake, a regenerator recharges the battery pack. And when you come to a stop, the engine will actually shut off, and then let you accelerate again on the batteries.