Hybrid electric vehicle is a vehicle which uses a mixture of power or fuel source. It was not until 1997 that hybrid electric vehicles became popular with the introduction of Toyota Prius in Japan and then followed closely by Honda Insight which was released in 1999. At first, this new technology was deemed not necessary because of the low cost of gasoline. It was not until the gasoline prices sky-rocketed that hybrid electric vehicles were given a second thought. This caused automakers to release this new make of the vehicles in the year 2000. This new shift of vehicle models is seen as the future of the automotive industry (Leitman, & Brant 96-100).
This paper is to give the rationale of the paradigm shift of car owners from gasoline cars to hybrid electric cars. There has been a lot going on in the automobile industry and this has ignited the need to look into the reasons why there is this dynamism.
Several professionals and academic practitioners agree that the rise in the quest for hybrid electric vehicles is just a gap that is standing between the traditional vehicles and full use of electric cars. The quest by environmentalists to have low emissions and have high-mileage vehicles will remain top in the agenda in most of the conferences that will be convened in future (Nieuwenhuis, & Wells 65-69). This is based on the fact that there is a general convergence of strategies towards promoting hybrid vehicles as the temporary solution to have very low emission and high mileage vehicles (Nieuwenhuis & Wells 765-770).
To some degree the prospects are worth noting because with the introduction of this technology, there is the use of nitrogen cells and thus reducing the use of gasoline gas. Hybrid vehicles have two types of engines which are working together. The powering mechanisms that are used by the two engines are gas, and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH); the latter is rechargeable. In theory the combination of this leads in producing environmentally friendly combinations and cars which have high mileage (Husain 54-57).
There are three categories of hybrid electric vehicles – regular hybrid electric vehicle, plug-in hybrid vehicle and all-electric vehicle. Regular hybrid electric vehicle is using less petroleum than the all-petroleum vehicle, but it is not a plug-in. The battery that is residual to the engine makes use of more electricity compared to the other. All-electric vehicles uses most of the electricity. Of the three technologies hybrid vehicles are the most popular. This is because they prove to be cheaper (Leitman, & Brant 54-67).
While the economy is in recession, most of the vehicle owners are wondering if their market would be stable, and if they can keep their businesses going. The automobile market is in a really tough time, but the hybrid vehicle still has its market. The plans that Toyota have is to sell at least 1 millions brands of hybrid cars by the year 2010 (Larmine 54-67). In addition, consumers’ purchasing decisions are influenced by different variables, such as price, quality.
Many manufacturers are still skeptical of the future of this technology. It is due to this that they are wondering if they are able to sustain the market. Toyota is being criticized because the price they have given for this new breed of cars is too high, especially given the fact that it is the generation Y that will be purchasing the car. Most of the users that are going green are the young generation. Other manufacturers are wondering if Toyota put this into consideration.
Works cited
Husain, Iqbal. Electric and hybrid vehicles: design fundamentals. Kansas: CRC Press. 2003.
Larmine, Jessica, & Lowry, Johns. Electric vehicle technology explained. NY: John Wiley and Sons. 2003.
Leitman, Sam, & Brant, Brown. Building an electric vehicle. NY: McGraw-Hill Professional. 2008.
Nieuwenhuis, Philip., & Wells, Pamela. Motor vehicle and the environment. Wiley. 2000.
Society of automotive Engineers. Hybrid electric vehicles. Michigan: The University of Michigan. 2000.