Future Hybrid Cars

Future hybrid cars consist of science, science that has not been realized yet and science fiction. For instance let's talk about the future hybrid cars in science fiction to get these out of the way first.

Whether we are talking Jetsons or Mad Max (or another car half powered by one fuel and half powered by Mel Gibson's rage), these are the future hybrid cars that only appear on TV or in the movies.

Now, let's move on to the more realistic future hybrid cars. It only makes sense that the future of hybrids is moving in the direction of plug-ins since this gives the most bang for the buck. Plug-in hybrids are here now.

Some of the plug-in hybrid cars that are out now or will be shortly include the VentureOne, Fisker Karma and Chevy Volt. Future hybrid cars due out in the next year or so include the GM Plug-in Crossover SUV, the Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid, the Volvo V70 Plug-in Hybrid and the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid which are all slated to hit the showrooms.

The Cadillac Converj and Mitsubishi PX-MiEV are now concept plug-in cars that may turn into future hybrid cars depending upon the success of the earlier plug-ins and marketing data to support rolling out such vehicles.

Now, why are future plug-in hybrid cars not going to stop here? Because although they are low emission vehicles they are not zero emission vehicles. So, right now hydrogen fuel cell cars are being developed. Most of the fuel cell vehicle prototypes today (or limited production lease vehicles) are also hybrid vehicles.

A few of the hydrogen prototype vehicles have also been developed as plug-in hybrids as well such including the Ford Flexible Series Edge SUV with HySeries Drive and the Ford Airstream Concept. This gives the best of both worlds including high MPGe's (miles per gallon equivalent) plus zero emissions.

If you fuel up and charge up your future plug-in hybrid car using solar, wind, or another renewable energy source then you have zero emissions, well to wheel. The hydrogen fuel would come from electrolyzing water and the cars' batteries may also be charged directly from renewable energy source.

Some people will ask why not charge the batteries directly and skip the hydrogen stage. This is because at present a hydrogen car can travel 300-plus miles and refuel in 5 minutes, whereas a battery electric car can travel 100 - 200 miles and charge in 5 hours.

In the distance future, this may change, but for the next 20 years the hybrid future cars will all be plug-ins. The distance future may have a range of different vehicles normalized and mainstreamed.

Such future cars may run on alternative fuels such as ammonia, boron, hythane, methane or microwave extraction. Some other future hybrid cars could run on a combination of cold fusion, electromagnetic energy, magnets, gravity, anti-gravity, brown's gas, fusion and / or solar energy.

The distant future is wide open for these kinds of vehicles to be developed. With peak oil and global warming as incentives, the desire and demand for such vehicles will most likely spur on carmakers to produce such vehicles that will be much closer to reality much sooner than we can now imagine.