Customer Reviews

Hybrid Cars (A Great Idea Series)

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(This review is actually for a hardbound library edition copyright 2009.)

Chapter 1 "The Energy Crisis" provides background including these ideas:
gasoline was in short supply in 1973 and 1974, and again in 1979;
gasoline is made from oil, which is a fossil fuel that will not last forever;
electric cars sold better than gasoline cars in the early 1900s, but could not go very far or fast;
with better roads in the 1920s, gasoline cars sold better because they were well suited for longer trips;
in tne 1970s, gasoline cars converted to use battery power could drive less than 100 miles between charges;
in the 1990s, electric cars were faster, but still had limited range, and recharges took hours;
since 1995, middle and high school students can take part in electric and alternative fuel vehicle challenges.

Chapter 2 "Developing Hybrid Cars" starts the main topic:
early hybrids by Porsche (1902) and Woods (1905) were not widely accepted;
in 1993, Toyota started design of a car to double the 24 miles per gallon (mpg) of their fuel-efficient Corolla;
the rejected first design was for a car with a gas engine estimated to provide 47.5 mpg;
the design team worked 16-hour days and used computer simulations to narrow 80 designs for a hybrid down to one;
a prototype Prius was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1995;
Toyota released the Prius to the public in October 1997;
the Prius uses regenerative braking to charge the battery while slowing the car.

Chapter 3 "Changing the History of Automaking" continues with:
the Prius sold well in Japan, and Toyota began producing 1,000 hybrid cars per month;
the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape are called "true hybrids";
the Honda Insight and Saturn Vue and Aura are called "mild hybrids";
the two-passenger Insight tested at 70 mpg, the larger Prius at 45 mpg in highway driving;
the Honda Insight arrived in the US in December 1999, the Toyota Prius in July 2000;
people waited months to buy the second generation Prius;
US sales of the Prius doubled in 2004 and nearly doubled again in 2005;
in 2006, of the 17 million cars and trucks sold in the US, 250,000 (1.5%) of them were hybrids;
by 2008, every major automaker had come up with its own hybrid car.

Chapter 4 "What's Next?" goes on with:
old hybrids got their electricity from the gasoline engine;
new "plug-in" hybrids can get their electricity from a wall socket while parked in a garage overnight;
lithium ion batteries hold a charge well, but can catch fire if they overheat;
in 2008, Honda released its first hydrogen vehicle, the FCX Clarity, which can drive 270 miles before refueling;
Honda can provide a Home Energy Station, which can refill the Clarity's tank in five minutes;
the Home Energy Station uses natural gas and needs a day to store enough hydrogen to fill the Clarity's tank;
the Home Energy Station can also produce electricity, heat, and hot water for the home;
Iceland has several hydrogen buses made by Daimler-Chrysler, plus a hydrogen refueling station;
in 2008, India's Tata Motors began selling the Air Car, which uses compressed air to drive a turbine;
the Air Car can drive 125 miles on a tank of air, at speeds up to 70 miles per hour;
the tank can be refilled in about three minutes at a cost of about two dollars.

My main quibble with this book is with this statement on page 16:

"A hybrid car has both a gasoline engine and an electric battery."

I think a better statement would be:

"A hybrid car is propelled by an electric motor which draws power from a large battery, along with a gasoline engine to be used when battery power runs out or is not sufficient."

Our modern world was created, shaped, influenced, and made possible by innovative inventions arising from the minds of their creators. "A Great Idea" is an eleven volume series from Norwood House Press that showcases contemporary advances in technology that make unique contributions to modern life. This outstanding series now has four new additions. "The Bionic Hand" focuses upon the development and creation of the 'i-limb' which is the first commercially available bionic hand. "The Nexi Robot" showcases four small humanoid robots with mobility, dexterity, and communication skills. "The Seed Vault" was created to preserve plant seeds as a way of protecting and insuring the world's food supply against natural disasters and diseases. "Sunscreen For Plants" is the story of a new SPF 45 spray that can be applied to food crops to insure against sun damage and dehydration. Each of these superbly illustrated, 48-page, library bound titles is enhanced with the inclusion of a glossary, 'places to go' information, and an index. The previously published titles in this impressively produced and highly recommended series include "Home Windmills"; "Hybrid Cars"; "Recycled Tires"; "Water From Air: Water Harvesting Machines"; "The Jaws Of Life"; "Lego Toys"; and "YouTube". Written and designed for young readers grades 3 to 6, 'The Great Idea' series titles are available individually, but school and community libraries are well advised to acquire the entire eleven volume series.