Hybrid theory: As gas prices rise, more people bying gasoline-electric cars to save money.

creiter@mercedsun-star.com
Last Updated: August 11, 2007, 02:33:29 AM PDT

Motoring down Highway 99 in a brand new, pearl blue Toyota, Rick Carlsgaard watched as the screen on the dashboard flashed his car's mileage.

"Look, now it's up to 40 miles per gallon," he said, pointing at the screen. But as Carlsgaard exited off the freeway, and the car slowed to about 40 mph, Carlsgaard pointed again.

"Look, the mileage is going up. I'm trying to get it up to 60 miles per gallon," he said. "I'm trying to get the car to go totally on the battery."
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That's still a misconception held by many car buyers, according to Juan Diaz, a salesperson at Merced Honda. The Honda company makes a hybrid Civic, and Diaz said that the hybrid looks, and drives, just like its cousin, the regular Civic. "The car doesn't need to be plugged in, it recharges itself," Diaz said.

Hybrid cars work by having both a gas engine and a battery. When the driver puts his foot on the gas, the gas engine automatically comes on. But when the brake is applied, or the gas pedal is released, the car kicks over to the battery. That's when gas mileage goes up.

The Honda Civic Hybrid gets an average of 49 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway, according to Diaz. The regular Civic gets 30 and 40, respectively.
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