# 4 Summary of Articles

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First Article:
Haresh Khemani (15th Sep, 2008) ,Advantages and Disadvantages of Hybrid Cars.
Retrieved: 2nd Mar.2009, from
http://www.brighthub.com/engineering/mechanical/articles/4304.aspx

This article focuses on the disadvantages and advantages of Hybrid cars. In the first part of this article, as the fuel price increases, the author suggests using the hybrid cars because of its many advantages. Powered by two trains, the hybrid cars are more economy of fuel. Hybrid cars not only consume less fuel than conventional cars but also use regenerative energy to charge batteries. Apart from that, burning less fuel means less carbon dioxide emission, which is environmental friendly and contributes to global warming mitigation. What’s more, tough not for all models, some hybrid cars are entitled to exempt from taxes. Last, using hybrid cars will greatly decline the demands for nonrenewable energy sources. In the second part, she gives out the disadvantages of hybrid cars. By listing the price of hybrid cars, she points out that due to the high manufacturing cost; the initial cost of hybrid cars is so high that many people cannot afford it. Another disadvantage is people worry about whether the life of battery is as long as the car itself. On top of that, hybrid cars are not environmental friendly as most people expected because the manufacturing process do produce pollutions. Last, as a 12V battery is involved in the hybrid cars, people concerns that when collision happens the wires may be a source of danger.
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Second Article:
Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Retrieved: 2nd Mar, 2009 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_electric_car#Hybrid_Premium_and_Cost_Parity

I read only the first part of this long article, which is the definition and brief introduction of hybrid electric vehicles. HEV is composed of a conventional combustion engine and an additional electricity storage system to achieve a better performance in fuel saving. In HEVs, batteries are charged from the heat of braking the car. First introduced by Honda and Toyota in the last few years of 1990s, hybrid cars are now viewed as the future trend of car development.
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