Plug-In Hybrid Electrical Vehicle

The world's current oil resources are very limited and specialists estimate that they will only last for another thirty or maybe forty years from now on. This, along with global warming, represents humanity's greatest concerns for the years to come as we have reached a critical point that requires immediate measures. The oil crisis is reflected in the price paid for the oil barrel and the prices paid at the gas station for refueling our cars. It is clear for the automobile producers that conventional fuel doesn't stand a chance on the long run but still, only few of them are trying to develop new vehicles that will run on alternative energy. Ford has recently revealed the innovative Escape Hybrid model, a fully-functional prototype using the ground breaking PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) technology. Differently from standard hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius, a PHEV car uses mostly the electric motor and the conventional gas-powered engine only comes in as a backup when more power is needed, for example when pushing the pedal to the floor. This way, people driving an Escape Hybrid SUV can get incredible values of 60 or maybe 100 miles per gallon in every day's use. On top of this, the CO2 emissions are situated at a much lower level than standard cars, helping reduce the pollution level especially in crowded cities.

Another interesting aspect is that the car doesn't make a lot of noise when using the electric motor, this being one of the few things that differentiates the driving experience from the one you get in a conventional car. The car features a plug on the outside that allows the driver to charge the big batteries over night and have the car ready the second day. Actually, the batteries are the biggest problem the producers are confronting with. They are Lithium Ion batteries, very common on mobile phones and laptops, but when it comes to vehicle propulsion a few issues like overheating and wearing out in time, are yet to be figured out. A PHEV vehicle comes with a price about ten thousand dollars higher than the standard vehicle, but producers are trying to urge the authorities help the people that want to buy these vehicles as it's the right thing to do in order to reduce pollution and avoid a big oil crisis. Also, people should know that the cost of driving will be substantially reduced because of the fact that electric energy costs only a third or maybe less than the equivalent amount of gas.