Hopefully by reading this article you'll be better informed and with the information presented here and in other areas of research you will decide whether to purchase a Hybrid Car now or in the future.



Starting off I'm going to give you some information that I've picked up from different auto makers, Wikpedia, Consumer Reports and other online and off line sources.

With that said I decided to give you a little history and background information concerning the electric powered car.

Did you know as far back as 1901 the hybrid car was being experimented with. It's true a gentlemen by the name of Ferdinand Porsche designed a Hybrid car named the "Mixte". This Hybrid used a gasoline engine powering a generator the generator powered hub motors with a backup battery pack for backup redundancy.

Then in 1915 an electric car maker a manufacturing company by the name of Woods Motor Vehicle designed a Hybrid aptly named "Dual Power". This car had a 4 cylinder internal combustion engine and an electric motor. The electric motor below the speed of 15 mph independently powered the vehicle drawing power from a battery pack. At speeds above 15 mph the gasoline motor kicked in to increase the needed power requirements.

Here we are in 2007 with Hybrid cars that aren't much better than their 1900 counterparts, granted they can achieve speeds of 100 mph compared to only 35 mph back then. But if you take a closer look the technology was here even in 1901.

The regenerative braking system , the concept of most todays HEVs, was developed by electrical engineer David Arthurs around 1978 using off-the shelf parts and imagine this a Opel GT.

Fast forward to 2007 and the choices are many and it looks like from all reports that the Toyota Prius is the best all around choice. This baby has a total combined rating of 55 mpg and city driving of a whopping 60 mpg with a price tag of 22K - 24K. The Prius also has the best emissions standards of all the others. At this time it seems to be the leader of the pack and the most bang for your buck.

I decided to add some other average Hybrids to give you a comparison to the Toyota Prius.

Saturn came out with a line of Hybrids recently and they now have a mid size car named Aura. Gas EPA estimates for the Aura are 24 city, 32 highway. Not the best but comparable to the other Auto Makers. MSRP for the Aura is 22,790.00 not too shabby!

Updated for 2007, the Toyota Camry Hybrid is a 4-door sedan that can carry 5 passengers. This hybrid vehicle is powered by a standard I4, 2.4-liter hybrid engine is a 192-horse engine. This hybrid vehicle achieves 43-mpg in city driving and 37-mpg on highways. The Camry has an automatic trans and the overdrive comes standard.

The 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid has been complemented for its impressive interior and consumption. However, many users have complained that consumption strives to obtain what is advertised by the company. Its been said that the Camry only achieves 34mpg maximum.

Toyota has stopped at nothing for this hybrid vehicle but it comes with a price, and it's expensive. Sold at an average of $29,000 in showrooms. This vehicle is a nice option for those that want luxury and also to save on gas.

A huge hit in 2006 and its gotten better for 2007. The 2007 Ford Escape is a 4-door SUV vehicle that can carry up to a maximum of five passengers. This hybrid vehicle comes in two styles, the 4WD and FWD.

This SUV hybrid is powered by a I4, 2.3-liter, 155-horsepower engine. It has achieved 36-mpg in city driving and 31-mpg on the highway. Both styles come with transmissions that are variable speed automatics.

I hope you have enjoyed this article and that it has been informative!