By Sherjeel Amir

The term ‘hybrid vehicle’ defines a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to power up the vehicle.  However, the term more commonly points to the electric hybrid vehicles.  These vehicles run with the combined operation of internal combustion engine and one or more electric motor.  Such combination enables hybrid cars to have higher fuel efficiency and lower emissions compared to the traditional gas-powered cars.

Some power sources for the hybrid cars include on-board or out-board rechargeable energy storage systems (RESS), compressed air engines, coal, wood or other solid combustibles, electricity, electromagnetic fields, radio waves, compressed natural gas, hydrogen, liquid nitrogen, solar cells, etc.

Hybrid cars are nowadays becoming more and more popular, especially as gas prices seem to be going up all the time, and as climate change problem is becoming more and more serious. People are opting for more and more hybrid vehicles in order to cut short their expenses and in order to play their part in an effort to save the environment.

So, whether these hybrid vehicles are really a step towards a greener environment or not? In relation to the above discussion there are two main advantages of hybrid cars as compared to traditional cars, one is lower CO2 emissions, this implies that there may be less impact to global warming, termed as the environmental advantage of hybrid cars, and the other, obviously is the higher fuel efficiency that can save you sufficient amount of money over the years, more commonly termed as the economic advantage of hybrid cars. Both these advantages point to a step towards a greener environment. It also shows that people are becoming more and more aware of climatic changes as a result of the gasoline engines so they want to switch to hybrid technology.

After considering the advantages of the hybrid vehicles, we cannot overlook the disadvantages, everything comes with a price to pay. Hybrid vehicles are generally more expensive than the traditional gasoline powered cars. One other disadvantage is the weight of the vehicle, hybrid vehicles are usually heavier than the simple vehicles as they house two or more sources of power to drive the vehicle. Most of the times, the increased weight is because of the batteries as they are very heavy.

While there is no doubt that hybrid vehicles are the future of cheap transport and a greener environment but, the hefty price tag and small scale production are the two major things which are stopping the customers to buy them.

Once the production cost will become equal to the conventional cars, we are most likely to expect a mass production of hybrid cars and a change in trend regarding how customers compare vehicles. We hope that governmental institutions plan and work in accord with the climatic changes and gas prices to make this planet a more greener place to live in.

By Daniel Harri

Automakers are now embracing the need of using organic products like switch grass, soybeans and corn for manufacturing car parts. This is because natural products are normally stronger and less costly than plastics, which are made using petroleum. Furthermore, organic car parts offer the great advantage of being environmentally friendly.

Whenever people discuss about green cars, they normally consider hybrid and fuel economy. However, many people forget that all the parts that are used to make a vehicle are largely made using petroleum. In reality, more than 250 pounds of plastic now make up the average vehicle. This kind of plastic is essentially oil-based and is therefore unfriendly to the environment. However, Ford recently showed off plastic trays made using switch grass as well as seat foam made using soybeans. Their vision is to make sure that the 250 pounds of plastic are replaced by organic products.

The other great example of organic car parts is the brake pads. Previously, brake pads were produced through mainly using asbestos like the material for offering friction. Since brake pads are normally exposed to lots of friction, they also generate lots of heat. The use of asbestos is practical as it is a great material that can easily absorb and dissipate heat. However, this material does have a disadvantage. When asbestos is broken down during friction, it creates dust that is hazardous to breathe. This brake dust is normally created when stopping or slowing down the car on the road. Nowadays, most brake parts can be created from organic materials that are far much safer than asbestos.

Organic or non-asbestos brake pads are produced from natural raw materials such as rubber and glass. Resins that have the ability of withstanding high heat are also used to produce this kind of brake pads. Actually, the heat generated when braking helps bind all the organic brake pad components together. An essential component found in several natural brake pads is called Kevlar.

The benefit of using organic car parts is the fact that they are produced using materials that do not contaminate the environment as they gradually wear out. They are also easier to get rid off as well. In the case of organic brake pads, it has been found that they are softer as compared to their asbestos counterparts. This means that they are quieter. However, the fact that organic products are softer means that they wear faster than artificial or petroleum based products. In fact, as organic brake parts wear, they tend to create much more brake dust.

As a result of these limitations, organic brake parts are not the best option for heavy trucks or high performance vehicles that require stopping quickly from high speed. Kevlar and other brake pads produced using natural materials are well suited for smaller vehicles that do not usually undertake lots of fast or aggressive driving. Moreover, the less number of hard stops along with the lightweight nature of the vehicle keeps the organic brake parts in great shape.

All things considered, it is good to see that the vast automotive industry is also going green. Many scientists today continue to look for sustainable ways of building organic car parts that will benefit the environment.