Get Hybrid Gas Mileage in Your Regular Car

It's no secret that hybrid cars get better fuel economy than their "regular fuel" counterparts. Unfortunately, chances are you probably don't own a hybrid car. Thankfully, that doesn't have to stop you from getting great gas mileage.

Below are several things you can do to help your vehicle get hybrid like fuel economy without having to shell out the extra money for an actual hybrid car:

1. Remove all excess weight from your vehicle. The rule of thumb is for every extra 100 pounds you carry in your car, you reduce its fuel economy by 2%. A good place to start is in the trunk of your car. Do you really need to carry your golf clubs around all the time?
2. Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Again, the rule of thumb is driving with under inflated tires will reduce your fuel economy by 2%, on average. You should try and check your tire pressure at least once per month.
3. Watch your speed. According to FuelEconomy.gov, for every 5 miles per hour you drive above 60 mph, you reduce your fuel economy by 6%. That's a pretty big incentive to just hang out in the right lane.
4. Reduce the amount of time you are in idle. Again, according to FuelEconomy.gov, your car wastes up to 17% of its fuel by simply being in idle. Whether you turn the car off when you're sitting at a long stop light, or park the car when you pick up something from a friend's house, you need to find ways to reduce the amount of time your car sits in idle.
5. Use moderate acceleration. Rapid acceleration, coupled with accelerating in to stops (as opposed to coasting) can decrease your fuel economy by as much as 33%! So, the next time the light turns green, don't gun it.

It may seem unrealistic, using the above tips should help you increase your fuel economy by between 10 and 20%. You may not be able to get the same fuel economy as an actual hybrid car, but following these items should get you pretty close.

Please visit Daily Fuel Economy Tip for more tips like this. The better driver you are, the more gas and money you'll save. It's a win/win situation!

The Hybrid Battery Car Plugs In

The future of the hybrid battery car is so bright you have to wear shades. Some would say the interest in the plug in hybrid is down right electrifying.

The hybrid battery car got a huge boost when President Bush featured it in a speech on his energy policy. It's part of the plan to replace over three-quarters of Mideast oil imports by the year 2025.

The location the President chose to give the speech is also significant. He spoke at Johnson Controls, a Milwaukee auto parts company that is making lithium-ion battery cells for the next generation of the hybrid battery car.

The race for hybrid technologies continues as the U.S. Energy Department pushes for hydrogen fuel cells to replace gasoline in cars. The department has targeted the year 2024 as a time when those fuel cells will be widely used in hybrid vehicles of all kinds.

There are really two forces driving the development of hybrid technologies. Number one is the uncertain Mideast sources of fossil fuels. The other is the cost per barrel of oil. As the cost of oil increases the race for information on hybrid cars becomes even more important.

Because hydrogen fuel is very expensive to transport some predict that the hybrid battery and ethanol technologies will precede any hybrid fuel based on hydrogen.

Government support means that plug in hybrid cars are on the horizon. These vehicles would get a battery charge from an ordinary electric outlet. Lithium-ion batteries will make this possible. These batteries will be large versions of the lithium-ion battery you use in your cell phone. You could be driving a plug-in hybrid by the year 2010.

The energy density of lithium-ion is typically twice that of the standard nickel-cadmium battery. There is even a growing potential for higher energy densities with these power source.

Lithium-ion is a low maintenance battery, an advantage that most other battery types can't match. Self-discharge is less than half compared to nickel-cadmium, making lithium-ion well suited for modern fuel gauge applications. They pose no threat to the environment for lithium-ion cells cause little harm when discarded.

Like most hybrid technologies, this one has its draw backs. Chief among them is that the lithium-ion batteries are fragile and require a protection circuit to maintain safe operation. All short comings are expected to be overcome as research and development continue.

To be successful hybrid fuel technologies must include petroleum alternatives. Right now ethanol would lessen the need for oil if mixed with gasoline. Here in the U.S we already make nearly 4 billion gallons of ethanol from corn. The irony is that a great deal of energy is needed to manufacture ethanol and that energy often comes from fossil fuel and natural gas.

Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel that is produced by fermenting and distilling starch crops that have been converted into simple sugars. Feed stocks for this fuel include corn, barley, and wheat.

Ethanol has a better chance of surviving as an important hybrid fuel when it is made from "cellulosic biomass" such as trees and grasses. These produce a hybrid fuel called bioethanol. Ethanol is used to increase octane and improve the emissions quality of gasoline.

Ethanol is blended with gasoline to create E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. E85 and blends with even higher concentrations of ethanol qualify as alternative fuels under the Energy Policy Act. Vehicles that run on E85 are called flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) and can currently be purchased from several vehicle manufacturers.

There will be one surviving hybrid fuel in the future. What is your guess on which it will be? Or are there some surprise hybrid technologies in our future?

Mark Walters follows hybrid technologies and recommends that you learn more about the Hybrid Battery Car Here.