News about renewable energy is everywhere. I’ve talked about it before in posts like Teaching Hybrid Technology. But the amount of focus and fervor devoted to this has grown. There were over 17500 articles referring to renewable energy in the last 24 hours alone (according to Google News). This is due to new technology, upcoming legislation as well as man-made disasters. The public’s consciousness of renewable energy is on the rise. And one of the ways people are expressing this is by buying and driving hybrid vehicles.
Hybrid engines combine electric and combustion to power the car, rather than just combustion. This means they are more environmentally friendly. Because at low speeds the electric engine is powering the car, they save on the consumption of fossil fuels. This has the benefit in term of carbon emissions. When the gas is not being used, the fumes are not being released into the environment. Their reliability and low emissions rate (not to mention higher gas mileage) mean that they are more popular than ever.
These hybrid vehicles are being used, and so they will need to be maintained. Hybrid engines have some different features than typical gas engines, as discussed above. Want to see what they look like? Check out our Hybrid Cut-Away Engine. This engine has been specifically cut to provide automotive technology instructors and students with the best view of the workings. (It is color coded to show the flow of liquids.) Here are a few sneak peaks (with more available on nadascientific.com):
