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.
How hybrid cars work is very interesting to learn. This is a new technology that was created to reduce the greenhouse effect and global warming. The cars that use this technology can be run using a combination of combustion engine and electric motor as their source of energy for propulsion. Cars that use this technology called hybrid cars.
Currently, in the automotive world, there are already many types of hybrid cars. Maybe you currently have a hybrid car, or maybe you’re planning to have a hybrid car so it is very important for us to learn about how hybrid cars work.
How hybrid cars work?
how does hybrid car work
How it works depends on the type of drive train it has. At least there are 3 types that we need to learn
1. Series Hybrid
The series hybrid car has a combustion engine, gas tank, electric motors, transmissions, and batteries with the addition of a generator. The electric motors or generators can be a separate component.
The series configuration is the simplest of the three. The machine is not connected to the transmission but is attached to an electric motor. Consequently the transmission can be driven only by an electric motor that draws energy from the engine, generator, or battery.
A hybrid car with a drive train series more suitable for city driving conditions because the engine will not be subject to the demands of varying speeds (stop, go, and idle) that contributes to fuel consumption.
2. Parallel Hybrid
The parallel hybrid cars have a combustion engine, electric motor, transmission, gas tank, and batteries.
The parallel hybrid cars are created to operate the electric motor or the combustion engine directly. Hybrid electric car can be run using both the motor and the engine. For conventional automobiles, hybrid parallel draws power from the combustion engine which will then push the transmission that turns the wheels. If using an electric motor, the car draws power from the battery. The energy of the battery will power the electric motor that drives the transmission and turns the wheels.
Both the combustion engine and electric motors are utilized at the same time rapid acceleration, on steep ascend, or when one of the engines or motors need an additional boost.
Considering that the machine is directly connected to the parallel drive wheels on the train, eliminating the inefficiency of converting mechanical energy into electrical energy and back. This makes a very effective vehicle for driving on the highway.
3. Series-Parallel Hybrid
The series-parallel configuration to solve individual problems of parallel and series hybrid. By combining the two designs, the transmission can be connected directly to the machine or can be separated for optimum fuel consumption. The hybrid cars that using this technology are Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid.
