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Have you ever watched that old cartoon “The Jetsons”? It’s fabulous. As a child I was positive that by the time I was old enough to get behind the wheel of a car I’d be behind the wheel of one of those self propelled flying cars that the Jetsons drove all over the place. And I have to admit while I’m at it that I always wanted to access the inter city transit that Judy Jetson got to take to the mall. You know…the suction tubes that sucked you right up where you were and spit you right out where you wanted to go? But it wasn’t meant to be. I’ve never found an inter city transit system like the one on the Jetsons and when I took my driver’s test it wasn’t in a flying car. It was a Honda Civic.

Not that I wasn’t ecstatic the day I got my driver’s license. Of course I was! The Honda Civic performed beautifully! More beautifully than I did, actually. (The man conducting my test must have felt bad when he told me I’d been speeding for a large majority of the test so he told me he’d mark it down as “failure to observe surroundings adequately” and I’d only lose a few points and still pass. Whew!) That little Honda Civic was great: no nonsense, sturdy, and there when I needed it. Not a space car, but a good car nonetheless!

But the introduction and wider and wider acceptance of the Hybrid cars are giving me hope that me may someday hit a point at which we’re ready to make the leap to the sort of futuristic transportation that left such a mark on my gullible brain as a child. The sort of travel suggested by The Jetsons isn’t yet an option, but at least we’re getting more options. That’s the first step, right?

We’ve all heard about Hybrid cars for a while now, but they’ve been labeled the “new” item for long enough now to have earned a spot in the industry that a larger and larger portion of the buying public trusts. They’ve shown that they fulfill their purpose and that they are an advantageous purchase for many. They are an especially advantageous purchase now that traditional fuel pricing is rising to painful amounts.

The Hybrid has a 1.3 liter, 95 bhp engine. It’s connected to the electric motor which is actually a part of the flywheel. The crankshaft revolves endlessly even when the power is coming directly from the electric motor. Newer models can run on pure electricity taking us one step closer to the elusive Jetson car (at least I hope so! Keep your fingers crossed.)

The Honda Civic Hybrid offers a noticeable lack of mechanical resistance achieved through inlet and exhaust valves that are always shut allowing no compressions or pumping losses. Drivers will also notice the regenerative braking in which the vehicle recovers energy when drivers tap the brake pedal using the electric motor as a generator. Both of these features work together to provide Honda Civic Hybrid drivers with a typical average fuel consumption falling at about 58 miles per gallon.

Tags: Cars and Trucks