Excerpt from, “The Most Anticipated Cars of 2013,” by Joann
Muller, Forbes, 9/10/12:
If it’s been a while since you shopped for a new vehicle,
you’re bound to notice some changes in the showroom. First of all, you can
expect a lot better gas mileage than you’re used to. There’s a broader
selection of hybrids and plug-in
vehicles for sale — at least one by every major manufacturer — as well as
marked improvements in the fuel economy of traditional gasoline-powered
vehicles. Features like continuously variable transmissions, direct injection,
variable valve timing and start-stop technology all help to make today’s cars
go further on a tank of gas.
Hybrid: A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses an on-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a
fuel based power source for vehicle propulsion. These vehicles use much less fuel than their
counterparts and produce less emissions. Hybrid vehicles recharge their
batteries by capturing kinetic energy through regenerative braking. Some
hybrids use the combustion engine to generate electricity by spinning a
generator to either recharge the battery or directly feed power to an electric
motor that drives the vehicle. This takes place when cruising or in other
situations where just light thrust is needed. [From about.com]
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