THE LOWDOWN ON HYBRIDS

Given the pace at which technology progresses, coming across things that might need a little extra work to comprehend is ok. In this month’s CoverStory, we take a look at some of the newest tech to hit the scene, and try to explain just how it is they work. From gaming, to cars, and video streaming, we’re breaking things down so you have a better idea of what’s going on. Get ready to take some notes, class is now in session.

- Ren Alcanatara

THE LOWDOWN ON HYBRIDS

Climate change is well and truly upon us. More than just freak mood swings of our home planet, this is a real and actual problem that we’re all called on to try and address. As individuals, there are a lot of things we can do to stem the spiral into planetary destruction—small everyday things that will cumulatively have a positive impact on how our planet fares. We can waste less food, have fewer children, fly less, and use less fuel. The last one is something that hits hard, particularly here in a country where terrible traffic leads to insane fuel consumption and fuel costs. One of the ways we can achieve this last goal, is to use better, less wasteful automobiles. This is where hybrids come in. Before you make the jump into hybrids, it would be good to educate yourself as to what they are, how they work, and what they mean for you, the everyday driver or passenger.

What’s a Hybrid?

While most of the vehicles on the road right now solely use internal combustion to generate the energy required to get itself and its passengers from point A to point B, hybrid cars have two (or more) means of getting moving. Today, this is typically electric motors, and batteries to store the energy necessary to power said motors. While similar, electric vehicles, such as those by Tesla, Nissan, and other manufacturers, don’t qualify as hybrids, as they rely solely on electricity stored in batteries to get going.

The world of hybrid vehicles is quite broad, but for the purposes of this explanation, we’ll go into electric hybrids, which are currently available in the local market.