Does a hybrid car run on special hybrid fuel only or is the regular (87) fuel ok?

Question

If there's a special 'hybrid' fuel, does it cost more than regular gas?

Answer 1

Nothing is lost in performance by combining an electric motor with a gas-powered engine in hybrid electric cars. Advanced technology like the Toyota hybrid synergy drive powertrain, offers improved power and performance over many non-hybrids. The additional boost in power from the electric motor in certain driving conditions also guarantees maximum performance.

Air pollutants contribute to the global warming of the planet and cause a variety of serious health problems. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tightly regulates the emissions coming out of a vehicle's tailpipe. Thanks to efforts from both the EPA (on the regulation side) and the automotive industry (on the compliance side), today's vehicles are significantly cleaner than in the past. Electric cars and hybrid electric cars offer the lowest emissions available, with hybrid vehicles being the most practical. If emissions performance are an important environmental consideration, reconsider one of the hybrid cars.

Saving money on gas and government tax credits are just two of the economic advantages of owning these fuel-efficient cars. The U.S. government has issued tax credits through 2006 and various states have their own as well. Save time by driving in the HOV lanes regardless of whether you are carrying passengers (check with your State for rules). With mileage ranging from 47 to 60 mpg, hybrid electric cars can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year on gas. (Learn how much you can save each month and year with a hybrid electric car).

Hybrid Cars offer drivers an innovative, efficient, and affordable option. After years of 'on the road' development, the new hybrids have become a practical choice for consumers.    

A hybrid car features a small fuel-efficient gas engine combined with an electric motor that assists the engine when accelerating. The electric motor is powered by batteries that recharge automatically while you drive.

Hybrid cars also gain efficiency from:

      

Smaller and more efficient engines.

Regenerative braking - the electric motor that drives the hybrid can also slow the car. In this mode, the electric motor acts as a generator and charges the batteries while the car is slowing down.

Periodic engine shut off - when a hybrid car is stopped in traffic, the engine is temporarily shut off. It restarts automatically when put back into gear.

Advanced aerodynamics - to reduce drag

Low-rolling resistance (LLR) tires - narrow, stiffer tires have less drag

Lightweight materials - increases the efficiency of hybrid cars.



You Use the same Gasoline In the hybrid car as you woulds any other car. The is another type that you might want to use in it called E85, it Green part of the new go green!

Answer 2

Hybrids run on the same fuel as other cars.  Regular (87) octane gasoline is the correct fuel to use.

Answer 3

Regular fuel, but they still have an internal combustion engine on board, use foreign oil, and have noxious emissions.

Electric cars are preferable and should definitely be produced now. It's not a technological problem; there IS no problem! The range easily exceeds sixty miles per charge and can be greatly improved. I saw a documentary on TV that convinced me that electric vehicles are feasible and low-polluting (actually zero-polluting, but emissions are produced by the generation of power). I'm far from a conspiracy theorist, but it's clear to me that electric vehicle production is blocked by car companies and oil companies in favor of what they view as maximum profit. And it's a shame.

They're not really all that expensive, and the price would go way down if they were mass produced, but car companies resist.

See http://www.evuk.co.uk/

Watch the “Who Killed the Electric Car” trailer at: http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/whoki...

Or go here: http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/223/index.h... and be sure to click on “Watch the Video”.

Answer 4

Generally they run on regular gasoline.

the point of a hybrid is to have easy availability of fuel... just to use less per mile.

Answer 5

The term "hybrid" refers generally to vehicles that run on gasoline or diesel engines with a battery pack and electric motor that provides propulsion as well.

There is no special fuel, just a conventional petroleum-based engine plus the battery pack and an electric motor that runs at times to reduce petroleum consumption.

Answer 6

They do not require special fuel, but keep in mind if you have not already bought the car, the fuel economy is being rewritten for hybrid cars, since they show a higher fuel economy than what they actually get.

Also, cargo room sucks. Plain and simple.

The pickup is about 0-60 in 12 seconds, rather poor, but that's due to the weight of the batteries.

ALSO! Big one here, the batteries do need to be replaced every so often (10 years I think) and they are EXTREMELY expensive!

If you're looking to save money, buy a Honda Civic. A hybrid will end up costing you lots more. Or wait to buy the hybrid once the new fuel economy standard is released for hybrids.

Tschuess! ^_^

Answer 7

It runs on good intentions, peace and love.

Answer 8

Hybrid vehicle

A hybrid vehicle (HV) is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources such as:

a. An on-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a fueled power source for vehicle propulsion

b. Human powered bicycle with battery assist

The term most commonly refers to a petroleum electric hybrid vehicle, also called Hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) which use internal combustion engines and electric batteries to power electric motors.  

History

One of the earliest hybrid vehicles were simply boats with both sails and oars, such as the Greek/Phoenician trireme warships. These used a sail for traveling with the wind, and the oars for when there was insufficient wind, or in circumstances that the sail was unfavorable (such as naval combat, in the case of the triremes).

Two-wheeled and cycle-type vehicles

Mopeds and electric bicycles are a simple form of a hybrid, as power is delivered both via an internal combustion engine or electric motor and the rider's muscles.

In a parallel hybrid bicycle human and motor power are mechanically coupled at the pedal drive train or at the rear or the front wheel, e.g. using a hub motor, a roller pressing onto a tire, or a connection to a wheel using a transmission element. Human and motor torques are added together. Almost all manufactured models are of this type.

In a series hybrid bicycle (SH) the user powers a generator using the pedals. This is converted into electricity and can be fed directly to the motor giving a chainless bicycle but also to charge a battery. The motor draws power from the battery and must be able to deliver the full mechanical torque required because none is available from the pedals. SH bicycles are not yet commercially available. They will become feasible if extremely high-efficiency generators and motors are available at competitive prices, especially for recumbent bicycles and tandems, where problems associated with the complexity of a long chain drive can be avoided. .

The first known prototype and publication of a SH bicycle is by Augustus Kinzel (US Patent 3'884'317) in 1975. In 1994 Bernie Macdonalds conceived the Electrilite SH lightweight vehicle which used power electronics allowing regenerative braking and pedaling while stationary. In 1995 Thomas Müller designed a "Fahrrad mit elektromagnetischem Antrieb" in his 1995 diploma thesis and built a functional vehicle. In 1996 Jürg Blatter and Andreas Fuchs of Berne University of Applied Sciences built a SH bicycle and in 1998 mounted the system onto a Leitra tricycle (European patent EP 1165188). In 1999 Harald Kutzke described his concept of the "active bicycle": the aim is to approach the ideal bicycle weighing nothing and having no drag by electronic compensation. Until 2005 Fuchs and colleagues built several prototype SH tricycles and quadricycles.

Heavy vehicles

Hybrid power trains are used for diesel-electric or turbo-electric railway locomotives, buses, heavy goods vehicles, mobile hydraulic machinery, and ships. Some form of heat engine drives an electric generator or hydraulic pump which power one or several electric or hydraulic motors. There are advantages in distributing power through wires or pipes rather than mechanical elements especially when multiple drives - e.g. driven wheels or propellers - are required. There are disadvantages due to the power lost in the double conversion. With large vehicles the advantages often outweigh especially as the relative conversion losses decrease with size. Generally there is no or relatively little energy storage capacity, e.g. auxiliary and emergency batteries and hydraulic accumulators.

Petroleum-electric hybrids

When the term hybrid vehicle is used, it most often refers to a Petroleum electric hybrid vehicle. These encompass such vehicles as the Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, Honda Insight and others. A petroleum-electric hybrid most commonly uses internal combustion engines (generally gasoline or Diesel engines, powered by a variety of fuels) and electric batteries to power electric motors. There are many types of petroleum-electric hybrid drivetrains from Full hybrid to Mild hybrid which offer varying advantages and disadvantages .

Hybrid fuel (dual mode)

In addition to vehicles that use two or more different devices for propulsion, some also consider vehicles that use distinct energy input types ("fuels") using the same tank and engine to be hybrids, although to avoid confusion with hybrids as described above and to use correctly the terms, these are described as dual mode vehicles:

Some electric trolleybuses can switch between an on board diesel engine and overhead electrical power depending on conditions (see dual mode bus). In principle, this could be combined with a battery subsystem to create a true plug-in hybrid trolleybus, although as of 2006, no such design seems to have been announced.

Flexible-fuel vehicles can use a mixture of input fuels (petroleum and biofuels) in one tank — typically gasoline and bioethanol or biobutanol, though diesel-biodiesel vehicles would also qualify. Liquified petroleum gas and natural gas are very different from each other and cannot be used in the same tanks, so it would be impossible to build an (LPG-NG) flexible fuel system.

Some vehicles have been modified to use another fuel source if it is available, such as cars modified to run on autogas (LPG) and diesels modified to run on waste vegetable oil that has not been processed into bio-diesel.

Power-assist mechanisms for bicycles and other human-powered vehicles are also included.

Continuously Recharged BEVs

Given suitable infrastructure, BEVs can be recharged while the user drives. The BEV establishes contact with an electrified rail, plate or overhead wires on the highway via an attached conducting wheel or other similar mechanism (see Conduit current collection). The BEV's batteries are recharged by this process - on the highway - and can then be used normally on other roads.

This provides the advantage of virtually unrestricted highway range. Since most destinations are within 100 km of a major highway, this reduces the need for expensive battery systems.

The technology for such infrastructure is old and well established - (see Conduit current collection, trams, electric rail, trolleys, third rail). Electricity and infrastructure costs can be funded by toll revenue, gasoline taxes or other sources.