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Hybrid cars are in fact a compromise – albeit a very good one – between conventional gas-powered cars which produce significant pollution, and electric cars, which produces almost no pollution but which have only a limited range between charges and are slow to recharge. So, how does a hybrid work? There’s a New Yorker cartoon in which a car salesman explains it to an interested couple this way: "It runs on its conventional gasoline-powered engine until it senses guilt, at which point it switches over to battery power." In reality, guilt is not a necessary factor in the equation. No, the primary consideration in hybrid construction is efficiency. You see, most gasoline-powered engines are sized for maximum horsepower even though the average driver will need that power less than one percent of the time. The hybrid car uses a much smaller, and therefore more efficient gasoline engine, which is complemented by an electric motor. By teaming up the two power sources, you still get the power you need when you need it, but without all the inefficiency and excess emissions. The Toyota Prius runs solely on electric power at low speeds (up to 15 mph), after which point it turns on the gasoline engine. As you accelerate or decelerate in the Prius, the speed of the gasoline engine stays roughly constant, but the generator varies its speed using the electric motor to balance the output requirements. If you gun the engine, as when passing, the Prius will lean heavily on the batteries for the extra oomph. The operating particulars of the Honda Insight are different, but the principal is the same; the electric motor and gasoline engine work in conjunction to provide you with the necessary power. It’s important to keep in mind that neither car requires recharging as the onboard generator keeps the batteries fully juiced. Remember: This is fully functional, road-ready technology, not some theoretical fix. You could drive one off the lot tomorrow.
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First of all, let’s start with the question of what exactly a hybrid is. In the simplest sense, it’s a vehicle that uses more than one source of power. Most locomotives are thus diesel-electric hybrids as are many city buses that draw electric power from overhead cables. In the case of hybrid cars, the two power sources are gasoline and electric power, the latter supplied by batteries. 
