Hybrid cars are on everyone's lips. Twenty, forty, or fifty dollars for a full tank of gas? Who in their right mind wants to pay that sort of money? However, frustrated, the petrol customer sighs, but pays up. However, hybrid vehicles are applauded for the small amount of gas they need to operate, and they are flying off the lots of car dealerships each and everyday in increasing numbers.

So, what about a plug-in hybrid? Most consumers have heard that these vehicles are fantastic as well. Then, a person might be asking him or herself, what exactly a plug-in hybrid is? How they work, and what the difference between a plug-in hybrid and a regular hybrid is?

Plug-in hybrids are able to run just on batteries, but they use fuel also. These types of hybrid cars share some of the characteristics of hybrid vehicles. They are also are very similar to electric vehicles.

Plug-in hybrid vehicles need to be charged externally by plugging them into an electrical power source. The combustion engine of plug-in hybrid vehicles is engaged only as a back up. These cars can run only on batteries if desired, but it is expected that these kinds of hybrid cars are recharged every day.

Hybrid cars can go just as many miles as a conventional car. Designed to go the extra mile where gas-mileage is concerned, hybrids can be driven on the highway, in cities, or wherever else a person needs to travel.

On the other hand, plug-in hybrids are meant to handle commuter-type distances, meaning between twenty and sixty miles. Used in this fashion, the plug-in hybrid does not have to make use of its back up combustion engine, but plug-in hybrids can go further using gas as well.

Hybrids help to minimize pollution, but they still pollute the atmosphere. Compared with plug-in hybrids, hybrid cars still have a long way to go as far as pollution is concerned. Since plug-in hybrid cars can run solely on their battery power, they don't have to emit waste gases at all.

Plug-in hybrids actually do fight against greenhouse gas emissions and plug-in hybrids use virtually no oil imported or not. Studies have shown that electric hybrids emit at least 67% less greenhouse gases compared with petrol cars. Since the electric used to power plug-in hybrids is renewable, the difference in greenhouse gas emissions may be even greater than the study showed.

So there you have it - those are the major differences between plug-in hybrids and regular hybrid cars. It could make a big difference, but you would be surprised at how little it actually matters at the moment, but tht's only because plug-in hybrids are not being marketed to consumers yet! But this article should make you excited about the fantastic plug-in hybrid car, coming soon to a forecourt near you.

And it's going to be a great debut too. People already really like regular hybrid cars, but they haven't seen anything until they see the new plug-in hybrid cars. However, for now, maybe they should just be satisfied with what they have, because who knows? Before plug-in hybrid cars come out, something even better might be introduced onto the market.