Compose a 2750 words assignment on dangers and benefits of hybrid cars. Needs to be plagiarism free! The definition of a hybrid is fairly general: “Any vehicle that combines two or more sources of power that can directly or indirectly provide propulsion power is a hybrid. For example, a mo-ped (a motorized pedal bike) is a type of hybrid because it combines the power of a gasoline engine with the pedal power of its rider” (Layton & Nice 2006). The vast majority of hybrid cars that are being driven and requested by the public today are gasoline-electric hybrid cars, but most people have been exposed to hybrid vehicles possibly without knowing it. The engine on a locomotive is generally a diesel-electric hybrid. This example, if no other, confirms the viability and durability of this type of engine as this hybrid pulls many tons of freight many miles a day. Some U.S. cities, Seattle for instance, operate a diesel-electric public transportation system. These buses can pull electric power from overhead wires or operate on diesel fuel when they are outside of the city’s wire configuration. “Submarines are also hybrid vehicles. Some are nuclear-electric and some are diesel-electric” (“What Makes it a Hybrid?” 2006).

Typically, the gasoline-electric hybrid car is what the term implies, a balanced mixture of gasoline and electric powered car. “A gas-powered car has a fuel tank, which supplies gasoline to the engine. The engine then turns a transmission, which turns the wheels. An electric car has a set of batteries that provides electricity to an electric motor. The motor turns a transmission, and the transmission turns the wheels” (Welch & Kerwin 2003). The hybrid is a combination of these two concepts. There are many motivations to utilize and advance the development of hybrids including their ability to increase gas&nbsp.mileage significantly and reduce the emissions of fossil fuels while overcoming the shortcomings of an electric car.