February 22, 2008, Newsletter Issue #31: Hybrid Car Power

Tip of the Week

There are a couple of concerns used car buyers have about purchasing a used hybrid car:
A hybrid car's gasoline engine runs sporadically to counterbalance the electric motor as needed.
Stop-and-go driving is harder on cars than freeway driving.So, the question arises whether or not hybrid engines have a shorter life than standard cars. Luckily, the answer is no. Stop-and-go driving is actually harder on the car itself, not the engine. It's the weight of the car stopping and starting that puts pressure on the vehicle. A hybrid is no different than a standard vehicle in this regard.

As for engine/battery power and how they work in tandem, there are two different designs. Honda hybrids utilize the battery to give the gasoline engine an extra boost, while Toyota's hybrids are the opposite: the battery is used to begin moving the car, then relies on the gasoline engine to give extra power.

Either way, you can rely on a used hybrid car to perform just as well as a standard, all-gasoline vehicle. The only choice you'll have to make is which way you want the hybrid power to work: engine-to-battery or battery-to-engine.

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