In hybrid cars, is hydrogen used as a primary fuel like gasoline or is it used to burn gasoline efficiently?

The hydrogen is used as a fuel in one of two ways, depending on how the engine is constructed.

In the first way, it is burned directly, the same as gasoline.

In the second method, it is broken down in what's called a fuel cell to create electricity, which powers an electric motor to run the car.

Most hybrid cars today don't use hydrogen as a fuel. Their engines run on gasoline for acceleration and on electricity produced by batteries for slow and crusing speeds. The gasoline engine keeps the batteries charged, the same way it charges the battery in conventional cars, so there's no need to "plug in" the car when it isn't in use.

Yo John, hyrid cars are not hydrogen fuel cars. No hydrogen fuel cell, its called a hybrid because it use more than one fuel source, one being a small gasoline powered engine (usually four cylinders) and the other being electricity powered from regeneration of power from the gasoline engine when it is on and a unique means of gathering energy from the brake system. you gave a great answer but not to this question

Current Hybrid cars have a small gasoline engine and electric motor.

No currently available hydrogen powered cars , yet

Hybrid means that it merges two things. Therefore, a hybrid car that used hydrogen and gasoline has both an engine to burn gasoline and one to burn hydrogen.

I think it correct to say that the hydrogen fuelled vehicles are not actually hybrids as has been correctly pointed out. There is a new Honda to be introduced in 2008 that is to be fuelled by hydrogen alone.

That is not to say that a hybrid of hydrogen and another technology is impossible.

hybird cars use electricity as a source of power to aid in less gasoline consumption per mile. It doesn't use hydrogen