Do hybrid cars cause pollution?

In big cities where people are packed close together, streets and roads are twisted and traffic jams are inescapable during rush hours, Laptop Battery smoggy skies can be a persistent problem. A muggy haze often builds up around most metropolitan areas, especially during the hot summer months, posing health risks for citizens. Smog may give skylines their beautiful, colored sunrises and sunsets, but it also highlights a deeper problem that some areas have with pollution.

Although smog is formed by several different sources,F4098A including power plants, industrial processes and various chemicals, one of the main causes of smog is vehicle emissions. The exhaust coming out of our cars' tailpipes, which consists of gases such as nitrous oxides, floats up into the atmosphere. When these gases combine with volatile organic compounds, smog forms. And smog in cities is just a small part of the bigger problem of global warming -- cars in the United States contribute more than one-fifth of the nation's carbon dioxide .
The realization that current car technology coupled with a heavy reliance on fossil fuels is dangerous for the future of the environment has led many drivers to consider more fuel-efficient vehicles as an alternative to conventional cars. Although there are several different options drivers can consider when looking at alternative fuel vehicles, the most prominent type of car that has captured the public's attention is the hybrid car.

Advertising campaigns and articles often highlight the fuel efficiency and eco-friendly driving technology that hybrids offer. Although the technology varies from F4809A one hybrid model to another, most hybrid cars pair a conventional gasoline engine with an efficient electric motor that's powered by a battery. This allows drivers to stretch out how much gas a hybrid burns in between commutes, reducing emissions and saving money at the pump.

But if they're using gasoline, don't hybrid cars still cause pollution? So, how green is so-called green driving, anyway?
Eco-conscious drivers are buying hybrid cars and other fuel-efficient vehicles for their lower emissions. The combination of a smaller gasoline engine for power, an electric motor for fuel economy and the promise of so-called green driving have proven to be successful incentives for consumers looking to save money on fuel and do their part to help out the environment. But increased awareness about the environmental impact vehicles and vehicle parts have on the Earth has led drivers to shift their concern from fuel efficiency to something else entirely -- hybrid car batteries.

The F4812A batteries in hybrid cars are responsible for the better fuel economy that's become central to the technology. They power the electric motor, which typically propels a hybrid car at lower speeds. This puts less pressure on the gasoline engine and stretches out the amount of fuel a vehicle burns in between trips to the gas station.

But the chemical material that makes up all car batteries, whether it's a conventional car or a hybrid, is typically toxic. 319411-001 Currently, there are far fewer hybrid cars on the road than conventional cars; however, concerns have been raised that if the number of hybrid cars increase, landfills will soon overflow with toxic batteries that are full of corrosive and carcinogenic materials.

There are three major types of batteries that companies use or are considering for use in hybrid cars: lead-acid, nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) and lithium-ion (Li-ion). By far, lead-acid is considered the most toxic of the three, and on top of that it's also extremely heavy,Presario 2100(compaq 2100) reducing some of the fuel efficiency gains from the electric motor. Lead-acid is becoming less of a contender in the hybrid car battery market and is being replaced by nickel-metal hydride. Nickel is less toxic than lead, but it's not without its own problems -- it's potentially carcinogenic and the mining process is considered hazardous. Since they're the least toxic, many consider lithium-ion batteries to be the next step for hybrid car batteries. In fact,Presario 2500(compaq 2500 battery) car companies are investing millions of dollars in research for a working hybrid car battery that uses the same kind of power currently found in laptops and MP3 players.