Understanding Hybrid Cars: A Guide for Brockville Drivers

 

With eco-friendly vehicles ever-growing in popularity, hybrid and electric cars in Brockville have taken the forefront. However, with such a wide variety of choices out there, settling on the right vehicle for you can often seem slightly overwhelming, so the experts from 1000 Islands Toyota have collected a detailed guide on hybrid and electric cars for you here.

 

Hybrid Cars: What They Are & How They Work

 

Hybrid cars combine both a combustion engine found in traditional vehicles in addition to an electric motor. They employ fuel as well as electricity to run, making them a flexible choice for drivers who want to minimize their environmental impact without totally committing to purchasing an electric vehicle. Hybrids offer the best of both worlds for drivers, optimizing fuel efficiency through features such as regenerative braking, which captures the energy created from your vehicle to be stored in its electric battery.

 

What Are the Different Types of Hybrid Cars?

 

There are several different types of hybrid cars, each one with its own benefits depending on your needs, such as:

 

1. Self-Charging Hybrids (Full Hybrid): This type of hybrid is designed to generate electric power from its fuel engine and places much more emphasis on regenerative energy.

 

1. Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicles (MHEV): Unlike self-charging hybrids, mild hybrid electric vehicles rely directly on regenerative energy to power their electric motor, benefitting their conventional engines.

 

1. Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV): One of the most notable differences between this type of hybrid/electric vehicle is that these hybrids need to be plugged in to charge their battery.

 

1. Parallel Hybrids: With parallel hybrids, both its combustion engine and electric motor work in tandem, or drivers can choose to use them independently depending on their needs.

 

1. Range-Extender Hybrids (REX): To extend the range of their electric engines, range-extender hybrids employ an auxiliary power unit.

 

What is the Difference Between Hybrid & Electric Cars?

 

The primary things that make hybrid cars distinct from electric cars are that they can switch between gas and electric power, whereas electric vehicles run solely on electrical power.

 

What Are the Benefits of Driving a Hybrid Car?

 

Hybrid cars provide a host of benefits when compared with traditional vehicles such as:

 

• Electric-Only Driving: If you’re only driving a short distance, hybrid vehicles can help you save on fuel by covering them solely with electric power.

 

• Regenerative Braking: As mentioned above, regenerative braking enables hybrid vehicles to harness excess energy from braking to charge their electric battery.

 

• Automatic Transmission: Today’s leading hybrid vehicles all come with automatic transmissions, making the driving process seamless.

 

• Improved Fuel Economy: Studies have shown that hybrids can reduce fuel costs by about 30%.

 

• Environmental Benefits: Again, due to their electric engines, hybrid vehicles can help drivers drastically reduce their carbon footprint.

 

• Assisted Power: When accelerating, hybrid vehicles utilize both their electric and combustion engine to provide more of a boost during acceleration, climbing hills, etc.

 

Contact us today for hybrid and electric cars in Brockville!

 

To learn more about the benefits of owning a hybrid or electric car in Brockville, 1000 Islands Toyota can answer all of your questions. We also specialize in today’s leading new and pre-owned vehicles so contact us online today for more or call (613) 342-9111.