If the price of gas has scared you and you’re thinking of swapping your car for a moped, you have half the right solution. It might be time to change your car, but forget about the moped and get a hybrid car instead.

The dictionary defines the word hybrid as: Offspring resulting from reproduction between parents of two different species.And that’s a good definition for our purposes. That’s because a hybrid car has a power plant that is a cross between a gasoline engine and an electric motor.

What is the problem with hybrid cars?

The auto industry claims that a hybrid car can give you up to 20 to 30 miles per gallon more performance than a standard gasoline engine. That means you buy less gas, and buying less gas leaves more money in your pocket. However, you will need that extra money because hybrid cars are still relatively expensive compared to traditional gasoline-powered cars. As more hybrid cars are sold, manufacturing prices will fall and that drop will be seen in the sales price.

How does a hybrid car save gas?

In a typical car, the engine is connected to the transmission through a mechanical link called Powertrain. When the engine’s spark plugs ignite, they ignite gasoline vapor that pushes a piston up and down. This piston movement is transferred to the transmission through the drive train. The transmission turns the wheels and the car goes down the road.

Well, the hybrid car is almost exactly the same, except that in addition to the engine being connected to the transmission, an electric motor is also connected to the transmission. There are actually two different versions of hybrid cars. The one just described is called a parallel hybrid, because there are two different power sources connected in parallel to the transmission.

The other type of hybrid car is called hybrid series because the gasoline engine works in series with the electric motor to power the car. This is accomplished by having the gasoline engine charge the car’s batteries or drive the electric motor. The gasoline engine doesn’t actually spin the car’s wheels at all.

Tea parallel hybrid It is powered by the electric motor when the car is driven below a certain speed, and the gasoline engine is activated when that speed is exceeded, or when the sensors in the car indicate that the driver has accelerated suddenly enough to overtake or avoid a emergency situation.

Of course, the gasoline engine is always running even when the electric motor is driving the car, so some gasoline is always used.

The standard hybrid always runs on the electric motor, which restricts the car’s top speed, and the gasoline engine only kicks in when the batteries need to be charged.

Like all auto claims, your mileage may vary. Still, if you’re looking to spend less money at the gas station and avoid much of the effect of rising gas prices, you may want to park a hybrid car in your garage.