How do Hybrid Cars Work

Types of Hybrid Cars

Most hybrid cars on the road right now are gasoline-electric hybrids. This type of hybrid has both a gasoline and an electric engine. The electric motor is powered by rechargeable batteries, and is the primary source of energy during low speeds, such as in heavy traffic. There are two main types of hybrid vehicles in current use:

• The series hybrid has a gasoline system which is connected to a generator that charges the battery. It can also send more power to the electric engine to give it a boost for quick pick up.
• The parallel hybrid has the electric motor, the batteries and the combustion engine all connected to the transmission. What is happening in the transmission determines which engine is working, or if both are working together

How do Hybrid Cars Work in Traffic

When the car coasts or slows down, and when the drives taps the breaks, such as in stop and go traffic during rush hour, the car’s wheels are automatically engaged to the electric generator. It assists the brakes in slowing the car down but also uses that mechanical energy to recharge the car’s batteries by turning it into electrical energy. This process is called regenerative braking.

At a complete idle the car will pull the energy from the electric engine. The combustion engine will be bypassed, and not only will the vehicle save fuel, it will not be polluting the air. As the car begins to move again the gasoline engine will engine to take over, giving the automobile more power. When the car is moving at higher speeds, the computerized system within the vehicle automatically switches it to the traditional gasoline system. This system takes over as the primary energy source, however using a more efficient fuel system than in the past.

Both the electrical and the gasoline system can also work in tandem. If more power is needed such as during passing the computer will automatically cause the electric motor to provide the extra acceleration that is needed at the time. In the same way, when the batteries get low on their charge, the gas engine will automatically turn on to charge the batteries and run the electric motor. Since it is the gas engine that charges the batteries, hybrids do not need to be plugged in. This is a common misconception that the manufacturers would like to put to permanent rest.

What are the Power Sources of Hybrids

The batteries are major components of the system in an electric motor. They are the energy storage containers, much like the fuel tank stores the energy source in a gasoline engine. Power is pulled from the batteries to power the motor, which in turn sends excess energy back to the batteries to recharge them as the car is running. While the engine is running the batteries, then, are in a constant state of being recharged. The pictures of electric cars being plugged in to an electric outlet are complete fantasy on the part of the artists.

Since the engines in the hybrid cars are smaller, they also produce less horsepower. The average hybrid produces between sixty and ninety horsepower, or about half of what a traditional gas guzzling engine does. To overcome this power shortage the manufacturers of hybrid cars are using lightweight materials like aluminum or carbon fiber. The more lightweight the vehicle is the less the engine has to move and so the less power is needed. The hybrid cars are also designed in a more aerodynamic manner than other vehicles. This allows the air to flow cleanly around the car, rather than the car pushing against the air flow.

Utilizing new materials and cutting edge design these hybrids are very efficient, using less fuel while maintaining the higher speeds and power that drivers want. Because of the increase in fuel efficiency, the hybrid vehicle emissions are much cleaner than their combustion engine counterparts.

If you would like to see a diagram of how hybrid cars work, this site has a simple, easy to understand diagram of the engine area of a hybrid.

By asking the question, “How do hybrid cars work?”, and researching to find which is the best hybrid vehicle for you, you can make the best choice for your own situation.