Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Hybrid Cars
How do they do it? How do they make hybrid cars that run on both gas and electricity? Did someone invent an amazing new kind of engine that runs on both gas and electricity?
The answer is no. Hybrid cars aren't based on a magical new technology, just an efficient combination of two old technologies - the gasoline engine and the electric motor. Hybrid cars have both a gasoline engine and an electric motor.
Having an electric motor in addition to the normal gasoline engine is one of the most important features of a hybrid car. The gasoline engine still provides most of the power for cruising at highway speeds, but the electric motor provides a power assist when more power is needed. The power assist kicks in when the car is accelerating, such as for passing another car on the highway and when the car is going uphill. With its electric motor providing a boost of power whenever it is needed, a hybrid car can manage with a smaller gasoline engine and save a lot of energy. The electric motors in some hybrid cars also provide power for starting and for driving at slow speeds, such as driving through your neighborhood.
Gas-electric hybrid cars do not need to be plugged in to recharge their batteries like all-electric cars do. Instead, they recharge their batteries from the gasoline engine while the car is moving.
