By: Johan Young
Hybrid vehicle or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) is a combination of a gasoline or diesel engine car. Hybrid vehicles utilize two or more sources of energy for propulsion. In the case of HEVs, a combustion engine and an electric motor are used.
Hybrid works depends on the type of drive train it has. A hybrid vehicle can either have a series or parallel or parallel-series drive train.
Series Hybrid
The series hybrid car has a gas tank, a combustion engine, transmission, electric motor, and batteries with the addition of the generator. The generator can be the electric motor or it can be another separate component.
The series configuration is the simplest among the 3. The engine is not connected to the transmission rather it is connected to the electric motor. This means that the transmission can be driven only by the electric motor which draws its energy from the battery pack, the engine or the generator.
As the power arrives at the motor through the battery, series hybrid cars need a substantially larger reserve of power and consequentially a greater amount of batteries need to be carried in the car.
A hybrid car with a series drive train is more suited for city driving conditions since the engine will not be subjected to the varying speed demands (stop, go, and idle) that contributes to fuel consumption.
Parallel Hybrid
The parallel hybrid car has a gas tank, a combustion engine, transmission, electric motor, and batteries.
A parallel hybrid is designed to run directly from either the combustion engine or the electric motor. It can run using both the engine and the motor. As a conventional vehicle, the parallel hybrid draws its power from the combustion engine which will then drive the transmission that turns the wheels. If it is using the electric motor, the car draws its power from the batteries. The energy from the batteries will then power the electric motor that drives the transmission and turns the wheel.
Both the combustion engine and the electric motor are used at the same time during quick acceleration, on steep ascend, or when either the engine or the motor needs additional boost.
Since the engine is directly connected to the wheels in a parallel drive train, it eliminates the inefficiency of converting mechanical energy into electrical energy and back. This makes a very effective vehicle to drive on the highway.
Series-Parallel Hybrid
The series-parallel configuration solves the individual problems of the parallel and series hybrid. By combining the 2 designs, the transmission can be directly connected to the engine or can be separated for optimum fuel consumption. The Toyota Prius and the Ford Escape Hybrid use this technology.
Please check out my other pages on hybrid electric cars, hybrid car tax credit, future hybrid, hybrid SUVs, emissions test, and vehicles models.
