Thursday, October 3, 2013

What is Hybrid Cars ?



Hybrid  Cars
What is it ?  let’s find out ...


The hybrid car , it took name from the simultaneous presence of two engines: a combustion engine and an electric motor . The first works at high speeds and the second work in the city
( zero emissions , so ) or go to the rescue of the combustion during sudden acceleration.
The batteries are recharged by generators driven from the shaft of the internal combustion engine
. The mechanical scheme is managed by a computer.

What Does "Hybrid Cars" Mean?

A hybrid car is a vehicle which uses two or more power sources to make the car move. The two power sources are an electric motor and a small combustion engine. They are slowly gaining popularity with the auto buyers because they are seeing the benefits that owning a car that will help the driver reduce their carbon footprint and is also energy efficient. When they speak of carbon footprint, they are talking about the amount of pollution and emissions that a person contributes individually that can destroy the environment.


The intelligent system decides which engine to use: electric , petrol or both , and how distribution of power and torque . At low speeds the car is driven by an electric motor powered by batteries. During normal driving operates the gasoline while a part of its power is used to operate the generator which in turn feeds the electric engine and charging the battery thanks to an innovative high-voltage circuit . If the driver requires abrupt acceleration , the two motors work in tandem with the power that goes to the rescue of the internal combustion . ll battery pack is powerful but the mass is contained . There is also a system for recovering energy during deceleration . The change is not there: in the electric motors do not need and in its place the Japanese engineers have developed an inexpensive electric variator.

How a Hybrid Engine Works


How Do Hybrid Cars Work?
What makes a hybrid car so fuel-efficient? It's quite simple — they only burn gasoline when needed
That's because, as the term implies, hybrid cars have two different powerplants under the hood: a powerful electric motor and a conventional gasoline engine.
The electric motor, powered by a stack of rechargeable batteries, is the primary workhorse for moving the car during slow-speed driving — such as through a residential neighborhood or in stop-and-go urban traffic. 




During coasting and slow-down phases when a driver lightly taps on the brakes, the car's wheels are automatically engaged to an electrical generator. The generator creates an extra "load" to assist the brakes in slowing the car down, but more importantly, it converts the car's mechanical energy back into electricity to recharge the car's batteries. 

At higher speeds, such as steady highway cruising, computers automatically switch on the gas-burning engine, which then takes over as the primary driving force of the car. Typically, the small engine is designed with variable valve timing intelligence, or VVT-i, and other advances to ensure that the fuel is burned most efficiently and completely. 

No Outlet, Just Gas and Go
But both the electrical motor and gas-powered engine can also operate in conjunction. For example, if more power is needed to merge onto a highway or pass a tractor-trailer truck, the on-board computers will automatically activate the electric motor to provided the needed acceleration boost.
And if the on-board batteries fall below a certain level of charge, the gas engine will also automatically turn on to charge the batteries and run the electrical motor if needed. That's why a hybrid car never needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet at night — a misconception that many hybrid-makers confess they still need to clarify among consumers and even some car dealers.


Hybrid proponents say the power combination offers consumers the best of both an electric car and a conventional gas-fueled vehicle. At complete stops — say, in rush-hour highway traffic where most car engines are spent idly wasting fuel — the car isn't using any gas at all. But like a pure-electric car, once a driver steps on the "gas" pedal, the electric engine comes to life and instantly propels the car forward. 

And keeping a hybrid "ready to go" isn't any more difficult that fueling it with regular-grade gasoline. But with fuel efficiency ratings ranging from 30 to 60 miles per gallon, hybrid owners need to fill up their tanks far less frequently — typically, every 400 to 600 miles or so.

The energy and environmental crisis are two very serious international issues of this century. To address these two problems , the car manufacturers have created the concept of hybrid cars.



Honda Hybrids Explained


What is a hybrid car ?

There is not much difference between the normal motor fuel and the engine of a hybrid car . Hybrid cars have recently developed two sources of kinetic energy , ie the motor fuel , and the electric motor. Some of the hybrid cars are also the engines that are driven by hydrogen fuel , stored in liquid form in a pressurized tank in the car. Some hybrid cars have also electric motors that are powered by a device known as a fuel cell .


Hybrid cars use two energy sources , namely a motor fuel with a smaller capacity , and an electric motor . When the hybrid automobile is in operation, the internal combustion engine at low capacity is always running. In situations where the hybrid car has to accelerate or climb hills , the electric motor , powered by a high-capacity battery , get into action and gives the car kinetic energy. The electric motor also powers the machine when it is running at a constant speed for a long time, such as a road, and the engine is off fuel . A conventional brake system delivers the excess energy that was generated by the engine fuel , converting it into heat by friction. However , unlike a normal car , the hybrid car , in braking or reducing the speed , converts kinetic energy into electrical energy in excess and stores it in the battery. The device that makes it possible for this conversion is known as regenerative braking .

TOYOTA Prius Plug-in Hybrid Technology



Added Features of a hybrid vehicle

Most modern hybrid cars are sedans that have excellent aerodynamics. These vehicles are also built with very light materials , which helps to reduce fuel costs . The developers of hybrid cars believe that the vehicle produces 80 % less greenhouse gases due to the characteristics such as low capacity engines , power for electric motors , etc.

Today, the hybrid car is considered a very important innovation , and is fast becoming a trend in the automotive industry . Many manufacturers have already produced highly efficient models that are in use . Many companies have also taken further research in technology, and are implementing a lot of progress in their respective models .


 


ECOLOGICAL CARS
HYBRID CARS - ASKED QUESTIONS ' FREQUENTLY

Hybrid cars are characterized by being equipped with dual petrol engine and electric. The electric motor works at low speeds (0 to 30-40 km / h) typical of urban traffic , the petrol engine will start automatically at higher speeds. In this way, hybrid cars do not consume fuel in the urban cycle , being fed by special electric batteries that are recharged during the movement and long distances . The use of the electric motor in city reduces to one-tenth the emissions of pollutants thus improving the quality of the air breathed by all. Hybrid cars are also exceptionally quiet as well as ecological .

Let's see what are the most frequently asked questions about hybrid automobiles:

    A hybrid car technology is reliable ?
    Toyota has already sold more than 120,000 hybrid cars in the world ( mostly in Japan). The Toyota Prius , the first hybrid car , is on the market since 1999. The last redesign of the Prius was released in 2004 , a tangible sign of the success of hybrid cars. Even Lexus , Ford and Honda have recently emerged in the field of Hybrid Car.

    A hybrid car you drive differently?
    Driving a hybrid car is like driving a car with automatic transmission.

    It reduces driving performance ?
    On long journeys or for medium to high speeds does the gasoline engine. So the performance of a motorway are identical to those of a normal automobile gasoline . In urban sections the electric motor will function automatically for low speeds ( below 40 km / h ), avoiding in this way to consume gasoline.


    You should recharge the battery ?
    The driver should never worry about recharging the battery. The battery that powers the electric motor is automatically recharged through the braking system with energy recovery (ie every time you brake system transforms the friction energy into electricity for the battery ) or via the on-board generator while walking any speed. To put it simply , just to understand , is the same principle of the dynamo that lights the bulb of bicycles.


   You must use a particular fuel ?
    No. A car equipped with dual fuel engine uses as the regular unleaded petrol .

    Hybrid cars have less space inside ?
    No, the interior spaces are identical to those of a normal petrol version .


    Hybrid cars meet safety standards ?
    Yes Recently the Toyota Prius have been tested in EuroNCAP crash tests to achieve the same safety standards of petrol versions .

    How long does the hybrid battery ?
    They last much longer than the normal car batteries , can , in fact, last for the entire life of the car . The battery that powers the motor must not , therefore , be compared to the normal car batteries . The batteries of hybrid cars are built to last for many years. When discharged, after years of use , they can still be refilled without having to replace.

    I find myself stranded with a dead battery in the engine?
    The vehicle can still move even without the battery running only the petrol engine . The risk of being stranded by a dead battery is, therefore, almost non-existent.

    The hybrid battery can be recycled ?
    Yes , handing it to the appropriate authorized facilities to recycle the batteries.



    Why buy a hybrid car ?

    1 ) reduces urban fuel consumption , or in spots where the fuel consumption is higher. In this way greatly improves fuel efficiency .

    2 ) reduces the emission of exhaust gases in urban areas , improving the air we breathe every day yourself .





    They are already on the market ?    

     Yes, hybrid cars are already on the market for many years but not all manufacturers have accepted this challenge. In Italy it is the only marketed Toyota Prius. Hoping that it is only the beginning and the example for all other car manufacturers.

Hybrid cars are not yet marketed by all the homes for economic reasons. Their introduction in the assembly implies for homes is a cost of production compared to normal diesel cars - gasoline.
The introduction of hybrid cars in Europe depend entirely on the pressures that citizens make to the European car manufacturers .Hybrid cars can improve air quality in cities and thus improve our health and quality of life in the city.


....