Originally, it started as an engineering concept at the turn of the 21st century. Gas-Electric “hybrid” cars were the dream of the modern society and they were displayed at various auto shows to gauge public reaction and market potential. Yet within a few years alone, hybrids have evolved into one of today’s most important automotive trends. Electronic components have really developed over the last ten years and are now more geared than ever to accommodate for the ‘greener solutions of our time. Every bit of a car from basic fuses to solenoids have been updated and modified to be friendlier for the environment. Numerous other components have come into play in the advancement of this technology, but one element in particular, copper, has been indispensable in helping to propel the growth of hybrid vehicles.
According to General Motors Chief Engineer, Time Grew, “Copper has two important roles in hybrids: It runs the electricity, so you have large amounts of copper in the motor and battery, and, more importantly, the copper technology is making hybrids viable from a financial perspective”. Fortunately enough, hybrids have come into the market in a big way. People are more than keen to get their first hybrid vehicle and contribute to saving the world’s energy resources.
These days there are not many cars that are not hybrid cars really. Car companies have a responsibility to now be far more conscious about polluting the planet. It is interesting to try and comprehend where technology will be this time in a decade or so. Will our vehicles be even more energy efficient? Only time will tell but I am sure that vehicle technology will have a lot of surprises for us up their sleeve. It simply depends on what is going to be viable from a marketing point of view.