About Hybrid Cars -Types, Advantages, Hybrid vs Electric Car

What is a Hybrid Car?

In layman's terms, hybrid cars are a combination of two engines - traditional petrol/diesel and another electric engine.

The combustion engines of hybrid cars run on petrol/diesel and the electric motor runs on battery power. This combination working of both an electric motor and a fuel-based engine results in better fuel efficiency and reduced carbon emissions.

Some features of Hybrid cars include:

• Hybrid cars can switch between the electric motor and fuel engine or use both engines in combination.
• These cars result in better fuel economy since they don't run on one fuel power only.
• The batteries of hybrid cars are recharged with the excess power that is released when the brakes of the vehicle are applied.
• Hybrid Electric Vehicles or Hybrid cars work by drawing power from the fuel engine and one electric motor.

Types of Hybrid Cars

Due to the increasing popularity and buzz around hybrid cars, different car companies are resorting to the development of new types of hybrid vehicles. There are 5 major types of hybrid electric cars available in India. These include

• Parallel Hybrid Cars

  The most common hybrid design, a parallel hybrid car works in combination with both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. Both these engines can work parallelly or one can be used as a primary source of power while the other comes to play when the vehicle requires extra power. Examples of Parallel Hybrid cars can be Toyota Camry, Toyota Prius, Hyundai Sonata, etc.

• Plug-in Hybrid Cars

  More of an electric vehicle, the plug-in hybrid car comes with a large battery pack that is charged by plugging it into a high-volt electrical socket. This car does not depend on a fuel-running engine, and can easily run once it's fully charged. This way, it also helps in improving the vehicle's fuel efficiency. Moreover, this car shifts to a parallel hybrid, when the electric energy gets exhausted.

Some examples of Plug-in hybrids are BMW 7 Series, Volvo XC90 Recharge, etc.

• Series Hybrid Cars

  Just like other hybrid cars, a Series hybrid car works on two power engines, the electric motor and the internal combustion engine. In this type of hybrid car, the vehicle is not powered by the internal combustion engine, but this engine is used to generate electricity for recharging the batteries only. This recharged electric battery pack runs the electric motor which then powers the car. Some Series Hybrid cars include Kia Optima, BMW i3, and Ford Fusion.

• Two-mode Hybrid Cars

  As the name suggests the two-mode hybrid car works in two different modes. The first mode works just like a hybrid car while in another mode, the car adjusts to different requirements by the engine to meet any specific vehicle task. For instance during traffic congestion.

• Mild Hybrid Cars

  Mild Hybrid cars were developed to comply with carbon emission norms and at the same time maintain fuel efficiency. This type of car majorly runs on the internal fuel engine, however, the electric motors help the fuel engine to enhance the efficiency and performance of the vehicle.

  Moreover, a mild hybrid car also uses an electric motor for automatic start/stop functions thus reducing fuel usage. Examples of two-mode hybrid cars include Maruti Baleno, Ciaz, etc.

Pros and Cons of a Hybrid Car

Undoubtedly, Hybrid cars are better in terms of many factors such as fuel efficiency, emission, etc. However, this type of car also comes with certain disadvantages that one must be aware of before investing in it. Below we have mentioned some major pros and cons of a hybrid car:

Pros of a Hybrid Car

Some advantages of a hybrid car include:

• Reduced Emissions

  Since Hybrid cars primarily run on two engines, the electric one and internal combustion engine, the carbon emissions in the environment are reduced making it an eco-friendly alternative to traditional fuel-run cars.

• Improved Fuel Efficiency

  Hybrid cars run on petrol/diesel engines, but it is also supported by an additional electric engine that helps in reducing dependency on one fuel type.

• Higher Resale Value

  Due to the ever-increasing price of petrol and diesel, people are resorting to environmentally friendly alternatives such as Hybrid cars. Thus, the demand for such cars is rising in the market, also resulting in a higher resale value of such vehicles.

• Regenerative Brakes

  The regenerative braking system is one of the most essential advantages of Hybrid cars. Every time you apply a brake, the electric battery of the car gets recharged. This removes the need to stop the car to recharge the batteries.

Cons of a Hybrid Car

Mentioned below are the disadvantages of a Hybrid car:

• Reduced Performance

  The primary motive of using Hybrid cars is increased fuel efficiency which in turn can negatively impact the power and acceleration of the car thus negatively affecting its performance.

• Costly Purchase

  Even after multiple rebates and incentives and efforts by car companies to reduce the prices, hybrid cars are more expensive than those conventional cars that only run on fuel.

• Higher Maintenance Cost

  Another con of a Hybrid car is the higher maintenance cost. Due to several mechanical parts and dual engines powering the vehicle, the maintenance cost of such cars is on the higher side.

Hybrid Car vs Electric Car

Now that you know about hybrid cars and their working, it is also necessary to know how it's different from electric cars. Below we have mentioned a table stating the major differences between a Hybrid and an Electric Car:

How to Purchase Hybrid Car Insurance Online?

A Hybrid or an Electric car insurance can easily be purchased online from Policybazaar.com by following the steps mentioned below:

• Visit the official website of Policybazaar Insurance Brokers Private Limited
• Select the ‘Car Insurance’ tab from the homepage
• Enter your Hybrid car number in the given form or proceed with any of the other two options
• From the given RTO list, select your car's RTO
• Select car brand, car model, fuel type and the car variant on next pages
• Now select car registration year from the given table
• Fill in the given registration form and select 'View Prices'
• Select existing policy expiry date and previous claim details
• From the given third party and comprehensive Hybrid car insurance plans, select the plan that suits your requirements
• You can also select any additional cover that you wish to add to your plan by paying an extra premium
• Select NCB percent and fill in the proposal form
• Pay the final premium amount using any of the given online payment modes
• As soon as you have made the payment, your Hybrid car insurance policy documents will be mailed to you.

Wrapping Up!

Above we have mentioned everything you should know about Hybrid cars before purchasing one for yourself. A Hybrid car is highly sustainable for our environment and can also help you save on fuel consumption. However, before purchasing a Hybrid car, make sure to also compare Hybrid car insurance quotes online from Policybazaar.com.