As gasoline prices continue to rise, more consumers than ever are turning to hybrid vehicles. Hybrid vehicles are powered mainly from gasoline and electricity. They have an electric motor that gives added power to the gasoline engine. This greatly reduces the amount of gasoline burned. An electric motor is attached to a battery and recharged when slowing down or braking. The movement of the wheels combined with regenerative braking creates a kinetic energy which powers these vehicles. Hybrid vehicles come in two forms, the parallel hybrid and the series hybrid. Although they both employ electric, hybrid technology, it is performed in two different ways. A parallel hybrid utilizes an electric motor and a gasoline engine to power the vehicle. A series hybrid uses the gasoline engine to charge the battery which powers the motor, or the gasoline engine directly powers the vehicle alone.

In America, ninety-seven percent of transportation is dependent on oil. There are an estimated 230 million vehicles in the United States alone that burn more than 55 percent of the oil consumed each year. This also accounts for more than one third of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxides and Hydrocarbons. These gases can be described as damaging to the earth’s climate as they trap heat into the atmosphere that should be pushed out into space. Emission or tailpipe emissions emit these gases stemming from burned gasoline into the atmosphere.

Hybrid vehicles are touted as a viable answer to the current emissions problems because they have lower emissions than gasoline vehicles. Hybrids are also showing to retain their value by having lower depreciation rates than conventional gasoline vehicles. They continue to be in particularly high demand by consumers. This allows hybrid vehicles to maintain their value and offer a sound investment in the economy.