A hybrid car is a car that has two kinds of power: 1) an engine that runs on gasoline and 2) a motor that runs on electricity.   Hybrid means a combination of two different things. They produce less than half the amount of emissions that a regular gasoline-powered car does. Wow! They're really gentle on the environment, aren't they!   Let's meet the hybrid car family!   PRIUS PRIUS α ESTIMA HYBRID       CROWN HYBRID HARRIER HYBRID SAI *Cars sold in Japan Toyota makes and sells environmentally-friendly hybrid cars in Japan and in other countries so that many different people can drive them. By the end of July 2011, over 3.30 million Toyota hybrid cars had been sold around the world.     Cumulative Number of Toyota Hybrid Cars Sold (in the World) In 1997, the Prius was introduced as the first commercially produced hybrid car! The Prius gets its power from both a gasoline engine and a motor. Really? The Prius does a good job of using both power sources. It's not like regular cars. The engine runs on gasoline; the motor runs on electricity. Because of this, in hybrid cars, there are several special parts, in addition to the engine, that you don't find in regular cars. For example there is an electrical generator that powers the motor; a battery thatstores the electricity produced by the generator; and a power control unit that makes sure that the electricity produced is used effectively.     Engine and Motor Power Control Unit Battery   But you still drive it the same way as a regular car! Depending on the driving conditions, hybrid cars either use only the motor to run or conserve fuel by combining the advantages of both the engine and the motor. The Prius automatically decides how to use the engine and motor in the most efficient way, in line with the driving conditions at the time. The Prius has acheived the world's best*1 fuel efficency, at 38.0 km/l!*2 *1 Compared to other gasoline-powered passenger vehicles; as of April 2009, as surveyed by TMC *2 Measured using the 10-15 test cycle of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT); applicable to L grade vehicles only           Fuel efficiency means the number of kilometer a car can travel on one liter of gasoline. The longer the distance travelled, the better the fuel efficiency will tend to be.   A solar panel on the car roof generates electricity that is used to ventilate the inside of the car. An Eco-Drive Monitor on the center instrument panel tells the driver when he or she is driving in an environmentally-friendly way. A switch is located on the steering wheel. The further the green bar moves to the left of the eco-area, the more environmentally-friendly the driving is.             The monitor clearly indicates the status of the motor and engine.       The screen shows the average fuel efficiency and the highest fuel efficiency for the last five trips. This makes eco-driving more fun.       The plug-in hybrid is a hybrid car with a battery that can be charged from an outlet in your home. Also, by increasing the battery size compared to the past, the distance the car can go using just the motor (electricity) is much farther than regular hybrid cars and the highest speed using just the motor is faster. By increasing the distance that it can run on just its electric motor, it uses less gasoline and decreases the amount of CO2 emitted. There is also a decrease in other exhaust emissions such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide, which means less air pollution. But if you use up all of the stored electricity that you charged while at home and can no longer run the car in electric mode, you can still drive it like other hybrid cars, using a combination of the gasoline engine and motor. That means that you don’t need to about how much charge is left in the battery when you go on long drives. Wow, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid is even more fuel efficient than a regular Prius. And it emits less CO2!           * Measured using the JC08 test cycle of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).   The Prius Plug-in Hybrid can drive even further than a regular Prius.             Short everyday trips in town Long trips and driving at higher speeds during the weekends and on holidays Run as an electric car, mainly using the motor Run as a hybrid car. Both the gasoline engine and the motor are used.   You can use it as a regular electric car without worrying about how much charge is left in the battery or where the nearest recharging station is. It’s possible to get the best of both electric cars and hybrid cars. When decelerating and braking, the motor becomes a generator and the battery is automatically charged.