Eco-friendly hybrids

Pramod de Silva

Toyota Prius

Honda Civic Hybrid

Mercedes Benz S400H

A display in a hybrid car

Most youth love cars, even if they cannot find enough money to buy one just yet. If you are really interested in cars, you would have noticed the appearance of a new variety of cars on our congested roads. They are super sleek, almost silent and emit less greenhouse gases. You guessed it right - they are hybrid cars, which, as their name implies, combines a gasoline engine with an electric motor.

Right now, the best example for a successful hybrid car is the Toyota Prius - you will see one when you go around soon enough. You will also see the Honda Insight and Honda Civic hybrids, which are being imported in greater numbers after the Government slashed duties and taxes on hybrid and electric cars in November. This was a step in the right direction - most other countries already grant such concessions for hybrids.

While a conventional car is powered by a gasoline or diesel engine, a hybrid couples an electric motor to a gasoline engine for greater fuel efficiency in an arrangement which Toyota calls 'Hybrid Synergy Drive'. The car is initially powered by the electric motor and the normal engine takes over after a certain speed and range.

Even the energy used for braking is converted to power in a process called 'regenerative braking'. The driver knows at all times how the car is powered all the time thanks to a comprehensive information display. It is possible to go as far as 36 km on one litre of petrol in a hybrid car and even that pales into comparison with the Volkswagen's plans to introduce a hybrid car that can travel 100 km on a single litre of petrol.

Yes, the VW XL1 prototype, just unveiled at the Qatar Motor Show can achieve this once-unthinkable feat, thanks partly to an ultra-efficient battery pack and a carbon-fibre body. One difference is that the XL1 can also be plugged in to recharge its batteries, in addition to on-the-run recharging with regenerative braking. The latest Prius can also do this. The car can go almost 50 km before the petrol tank springs into action.

The good news is that almost every car maker is keen to get in on the hybrid and all-electric bandwagon. All would naturally want to follow the VW example. The Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf are already going places in the US and Mercedes has rolled out a hybrid version of its S-Class limo (S400h). Mercedes also wants to offer C and E Class hybrids in the next few years.

Among the other hybrids you should look out for are the Hyundai Sonata, Honda CR-Z, Porsche Cayenne, Lexus CT 200H and of course the all-new Toyota Prius. Mitsubishi may also turn out a hybrid version of its Galant. Buyers will have a plethora of super-fuel efficient hybrid options by around 2015, at even lower prices as economies of scale kick in and Governments tighten green regulations. Who knows, you could be driving around in a sleek new hybrid soon!