The automotive industry has evolved very rapidly over the past decade or so
, the global financial meltdown and an emphasis on Global Warming has contributed to car manufacturers changing the way they think about cars. With local governments banging on about how we all need to watch our carbon footprints many consumers have taken the thoughts on board and done something about it.
Realising that consumer needs and expectations were changing the automotive industry had to respond. Rather than the traditional fuel powered combustion engine we needed an alternative that was not such a heavy drain on natural resources. We first had the introduction of LPG cars, which for a while did very well. But the poor MPG figures and lack of LPG filling stations meant it didnt do as well and was phased out.
We then had the big Japanese brands in Toyota and Honda come up with another alternative Hybrid Cars. These are cars that run on electricity as well as petrol; these have lower CO2 emissions and much better fuel efficiency. The first of these cars came out 10 years ago and have done pretty well, but recently we have had plug-in electric models introduced that run entirely on battery power.
Consumer demand for hybrid and plug-in electric cars have grown significantly and as long as fuel prices keep rising so will the demand for alternative fuel. With this in mind manufacturers are now willing to spend more time and money to research and further develop electric cars. Honda has already announced that as of this year all its hybrid cars at Town & County Honda will come with their 2nd generation hybrid system.
Hondas 2nd generation system uses two electric motors to produce more power and make the hybrid models gutsier. The system itself will work in much the same way as a normal hybrid vehicle, but the twin engines will increase the cars speed capabilities as well as its power and performance potential.