Do all hybrids work the same as Toyota Hybrid?
For fleet managers looking to reduce costs and improve emissions, operating a hybrid vehicle must seem an easy decision. While most manufacturers’ hybrids will deliver savings and improve a fleet’s environmental credentials, look closer and you’ll see many only do part of the job of a Toyota Hybrid.
Nearly every hybrid on the market is equipped with engine stop-start technology. This saves fuel and reduces emissions by switching off the engine when you stop, for example at traffic lights, then back on when you start moving again.
More advanced hybrids use electric energy stored in their batteries to support the engine, for instance, during overtaking, and to power ancillary items such as lights, air conditioning and radio. Their batteries are normally recharged with the energy recovered when you brake.
But there’s one thing these hybrids won’t do, they don’t drive on battery power alone.
