How Did Hybrid Cars Achieve

Maximum Fuel Economy?

By: Johan Young

used hybrid car

Hybrid cars can achieve maximum acceleration. How do they do it? Aside from using both the electric motor and combustion engine to draw propulsion, hybrid cars have various tricks to squeeze every mile out of each gallon of gasoline. With this hybrid cars can run from 20mpg to 60mpg. Hybrid electric vehicles have:

Lightweight materials. One of the most certain ways to increase the mileage of the car is to reduce its overall weight. So instead of steel, hybrid cars use lightweight materials such as magnesium and aluminum or composite materials like carbon fibers. Because the lighter the car is, the higher the fuel mileage will be

Smaller engine.  The weight of the machine is directly related to its fuel consumption. And because larger engines are relatively heavier, they take more energy just to move their own weight, thus consuming many fuels. Also big engines have large cylinder displacement that takes more fuel just to stop.

Since hybrid vehicles utilize other sources of power, they do not require large engines. Instead, the smaller and lighter engine equates to better fuel mileage. The Honda Civic Hybrid, for example uses a 1.3 L iVTEC 4-cylinder engine as opposed to the typical 1.8 L or 2.0 L engine for the non-hybrid counterpart.

Improved aerodynamics to reducing drag and increasing fuel economy. As we know, when we are driving at a high speed, most work of the engine goes into pushing the car through the air. Hybrid cars are designed in such away that its frontal area chops through the air, reducing drag and increasing fuel economy. The Honda Insight is the best example of how a car can increase its fuel mileage by using a smoother aerodynamic design.

Energy conservation. Since hybrid cars do not rely solely on ICEs that run continuously even at stops, they can shut off the engine temporarily whenever do not need it. It will automatically turn on while you step on the gas pedal.

Energy recovery. Much of the energy is lost when braking, more in order at high speeds.  Hybrid vehicles are designed to recapture this lost energy and store it back in the battery to be used afterward.

Special tires. Tires are specifically used to minimize noise, provide a smooth ride, and give good grip in different weathers. But tires are rarely used to optimize efficiency. They make a great deal of drag while driving. Hybrid cars on the other hand use low-rolling resistance tires. They are inflated to a higher air pressure and are stiffer which result in reduced drag and improve fuel efficiency.

Want to buy a hybrids cars? Please check out my other pages on why buy hybrid and hybrid car tax deduction.