Hybrid Electric Cars

NEW - Updated for 2009!

One dictionary definition of the word, "hybrid" is "something of a mixed origin or composition." This pretty much describes hybrid electric cars, which come from the marriage of two entirely different technologies---electricity and internal combustion.

Hybrid Cars, otherwise known as HEVs - Hybrid Electric Vehicles - or Gas Electric Hybrid Cars - are fast becoming the choice of more and more people. Many folks just want better gas mileage.

Tree-Hugging Idealism? 

And some folks not only want better gas mileage, but want to do their part to fight global warming along with fossil fuel dependency and depletion. Now, while that's a noble concern, we'll see if their efforts are nothing but tree-hugging idealism.

But you don't have to be a tree-hugger to appreciate this: Many U.S. citizens are realizing that hybrids are one way to help the U.S. escape the choke-hold that the Middle East has on our economy. As a retired Army soldier myself, that alone is enough to motivate me to buy a Toyota Prius.

But it turns out that other hardcore 'non-tree-huggers' are starting to buy hybrids. Why? For better gas mileage? No, performance. That's right, you read that correctly---performance!  Read on, you may be surprised---especially when you read the "Hybrid Car Myths" section...

A quick overview of hybrid electric cars:   

Hybrids got their name because they run on two different power sources--often at the same time. Contrast that with an electric vehicle or a gasoline only vehicle, which run on only one source.

1st Generation Hybrids: Weak As a Kitten and Slow As Molasses

1st generation hybrids had small gasoline-powered engines--often 2-cycle like in lawn & garden equipment--that helped charge hundreds of pounds of lead-acid batteries, which sent power to the electric motor. The electric motor propelled the vehicle. These were called "series" hybrids. The little little gasoline engine's job was to charge the batteries, making the series hybrid more of a pure electric vehicle than not.

They were low on power, cramped, and had a short range. They weren't very practical and it would be unrealistic to think that these early designs would be accepted by the public--especially Americans who are used to going fast and far in their cars.

 Technology To The Rescue

Now, however, most hybrids are made with a "parallel" setup; they can be propelled by the electric motor alone or the gasoline engine alone or by both working together. With much better battery technology, hybrids are now becoming very practical indeed.

The new hybrid electric cars have been designed to take advantage of the best features of the electric motor in combination with the best features of the gasoline engine. What am I talking about here?

Some of today's "muscle car hybrids" have large gasoline engines--not much smaller than non-hybrid cars. As a matter of fact, some have gas engines up to 200 hp or so. The 2007 Lexus GS Hybrid has a total of 350 hp, with 192 hp coming from the gasoline engine.

So how do they save enough gasoline to be called "hybrid?"
 

In a nutshell, two things:

1. Most cars--hybrid or not--need less than 20 horsepower to maintain highway speeds!

2. At 70 mph the drag force from wind resisitance is double what it is at 50 mph.

...So if you can figure out a way to accelerate a car up to cruising speed without using the gas engine--or at least without using it very much--you are saving gobs of gas.

...And if you can cut down on the wind drag while it's at those cruising speeds, you've got a home run!

Electric Motors Are Great For "Take-off" Torque

The electric motors in hybrid electric cars don't produce much horsepower, but since they spin at high RPM, they pack lots of torque---perfect for getting a car from zero to about 30 mph. (This is one reason why diesel locomotives are hybrids: They use the awesome torque of electric motors to get million-ton trains moving.)

At about the 30 mph point in a hybrid car, the gasoline engine kicks in and both the gas and electric engines work together to get the car up to whatever speed you want to go.

After the vehicle is at or near cruising speed, the gasoline engine takes over 100% of the job of keeping the car at cruising speeds.

Whenever you let your foot off of the gas and/or step on the brake, the car's momentum is used to power the generator, taking the place of your "normal" brakes. So, even though it feels like your brakes are slowing you down, it's actually the generator that is dragging your speed down---capturing the energy of your car's momentum and storing it in the batteries.

This is known as "regenerative braking," and is the main reason why hybrid cars do not need to be plugged in to recharge the batteries at night.

"But I'm used to muscle-car acceleration."

If you want big-time acceleration, just "step on it" like you would do in any conventional car and you'll be treated to greater-than-normal acceleration--while saving gas. Because now both the electic and gasoline motors are working together for the short time it takes to get you up to the speed you want.

To Recap...

You see, most of the greenhouse gases produced by cars and a big chunk of your gas bill is from acceleration--not steady cruising. Acceleration is where the electric motors come in. They are better suited for quick acceleration from a dead stop, and are actually surprisingly efficient at this---as long as they don't have to accelerate the vehicle up to 120 mph by themselves.

But electric motors and the electicity required to power them become inefficient for long-range, high-speed driving. This is where the gasoline engines shine: As long as they're smartly designed to begin with (high-tech valve timing, tuning, fuel injection, etc.), they are very efficient for long-range, high-speed cruising down the highway. But at high speeds...

wind resistance can be a drag...

Gasoline motors use very little gasoline when the car is at cruising speed as long as the car is designed so that it has very little wind resistance...that's why hybrid designs are about as streamlined as you can get. Because once a vehicle gets up to, say, 70 mph, most of the power required to keep a vehicle moving is due to the wind resistance.

Diesel Locomotive Trains are Hybrid Electric Vehicles!

Did you know that most conventional trains are hybrid electric vehicles? Diesel locomotives use powerful diesel-fuel engines to power huge generators that, in turn, provide the electrical power for the electric motors that turn the big steel wheels of the the train.

Remember "Mopeds?" They are hybrids, using two sources of power--human and gasoline engine power. You pedaled to get them started, then the tiny gas engine took over; it needed only to provide power for cruising....which, as we now know, requires very little power. Hence, the tiny weed-eater engines on mopeds.

As a matter of fact, you'll learn that hybrids are not a new idea at all, with the first hybrid electric vehicles on the road back in 1905. That's right, 1905!

Although some of the misconceptions many people have about hybrid electric cars have already been addressed here, read "12 Common Hybrid Car Myths" by clicking the link on the left side of this page. More surprising facts await you!

The website "How Stuff Works" provides a more detailed explanation of how hybrid cars work , complete with color coded diagrams and little animations.

On the next page, discover the 12 Common Hybrid Electric Car Myths

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