TERMS;
HYBRID- In simple terms; a combustion engine married to an electric motor.
PARALLEL: a hybrid that uses the combustion engine, the electric motor or both. The benefit is you get better acceleration from a stopped position. When at idle or in slow city traffic the electric motor kicks in seamlessly as needed.
REGENERATIVE BRAKING: On a conventional vehicle the brakes stop the vehicle. On the hybrid generators are used to slow the vehicle while charging the batteries
Manufacturers: Currently there are 23 cars available from just 13 different manufacturers. By the end of 2012 that number will be around 25 Car makers.
History: Some say hybrid technology has been around since the automobiles existence but the real break thru didn’t happen until the early 70’s. Toyota and Honda in the late 90’s launched their first generation hybrids independently. Toyota set the bench mark and even licensed some of the technology you see in other manufacturer’s hybrid systems. Since 2000 Toyota has sold over 2 million.
Manufactures: Currently there are 23 cars available from 13 different manufacturers. By the end of 2012 that number will be around 20 Car makers
