Are US Hybrid Sales Running Out of Gas?

April 30, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

Despite soaring petrol prices, Americans are trading in their fuel-saving hybrids and returning to vehicles with traditional engines. New research shows 65 percent of hybrid owners are having second thoughts when the time comes to buying a new car. Lisa Fletcher reports from New York.

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Hybrid electric vehicle

A hybrid electric vehicle is a type of hybrid vehicle and electric vehicle which combines a conventional internal combustion engine propulsion system with an electric propulsion system. The presence of the electric powertrain is intended to achieve either better fuel economy t... Explore this topic

Fuel efficiency

Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the efficiency of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier fuel into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, which in turn may vary per application fuel effici... Explore this topic

Price of petroleum

The price of petroleum as quoted in news generally refers to the spot price per barrel (159 liters) of either WTI/light crude as traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) for delivery at Cushing, Oklahoma, or of Brent as traded on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE, i... Explore this topic

Hybrid vehicle

A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle. The term most commonly refers to hybrid electric vehicles, which combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors. However other mechanisms to capture and utili... Explore this topic

Electric vehicle

An electric vehicle, also referred to as an electric drive vehicle, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion. Three main types of electric vehicles exist, those that are directly powered from an external power station, those that are powered by stored... Explore this topic

Automotive industry

The automotive industry is a term that covers a wide range of companies and organisations involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles, towed vehicles, motorcycles and mopeds. It is one of the world's most important economic sector... Explore this topic

Gasoline and diesel usage and pricing

The usage and pricing of gasoline (or petrol) results from factors such as crude oil prices, processing and distribution costs, local demand, the strength of local currencies, local taxation, and the availability of local sources of gasoline (supply). Since fuels are traded wo... Explore this topic

Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius is a full hybrid electric mid-size hatchback, formerly a compact sedan developed and manufactured by Toyota. The EPA and California Air Resources Board rate the Prius as among the cleanest vehicles sold in the United States based on smog-forming emissions. The... Explore this topic

Automobile

About 250 million vehicles are in the United States. Around the world, there were about 806 million cars and light trucks on the road in 2007; they burn over 260 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel yearly. The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, mark... Explore this topic

United States

The United States of America, commonly called the United States or America, is a federal republic consisting of fifty states and a federal district. The lower forty-eight contiguous states and the federal district of Washington, D.C. are in central North America between Canada... Explore this topic

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Hybrid electric vehicle

Fuel efficiency

Price of petroleum

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