tag:www.hybridfuture.net,2007://1 2007-03-28T05:46:08Z Gasoline/Electric Hybrid vehicles are the future. Hybrid Cars, Hybrid Trucks, even Hybrid SUVs. Movable Type 3.33 tag:www.hybridfuture.net,2007://1.9 2007-03-28T05:33:50Z 2007-03-28T05:46:08Z

There are many benefits of hybrid vehicles, including: Reduced petroleum consumption (compared to otherwise similar ICE vehicles) primarily by using three mechanisms: a) Reducing wasted energy during idle/low output, generally by turning the internal combustion engine off; b) Recapturing waste...

awakers There are many benefits of hybrid vehicles, including: Reduced petroleum consumption (compared to otherwise similar ICE vehicles) primarily by using three mechanisms: a) Reducing wasted energy during idle/low output, generally by turning the internal combustion engine off; b) Recapturing waste energy (i.e. regenerative braking); c) reducing the size and power of the ICE engine, and hence inefficiencies from under-utilization, by using the better torque response of electric motors to compensate for the loss in peak power output from the smaller internal combustion engine. Making more aggressive use of other fuel-saving techniques, hybrids may also reduce weight. These are not typical advantages of the hybrid design, but engineering choices made for various reasons, including marketing to consumers conscious of these issues. Trade-offs include higher weight for electric motors and batteries, which may reduce fuel efficiency at highway speeds compared to otherwise equivalent ICE vehicles, or even result in lower fuel efficiency at highway speeds than in urban use; for this reason, hybrids may be considered to be particularly well suited to urban applications. The internal-combustion engine in a hybrid vehicle is smaller, lighter, and more efficient than the one in a conventional vehicle, because the combustion engine can be sized for slightly above average power demand rather than peak power demand. A standard combustion engine is required to operate over a range of speed and power, yet its highest efficiency is in a narrow range of operation—in a hybrid vehicle, the combustion engine operates within its range of highest efficiency. The power curve of electric motors is better suited to variable speeds and can provide substantially greater torque at low speeds compared with internal-combustion engines. Like many electric cars, but in contrast to conventional vehicles, braking in a hybrid is controlled in part by the electric motor which can recapture part of the kinetic energy of the car to partially recharge the batteries. This is called regenerative braking and contributes to the higher efficiency of hybrid cars. In a conventional vehicle, braking is done by mechanical brakes, and the kinetic energy of the car is wasted as heat. Hybrids' greater fuel economy has implication for reduced petroleum consumption and vehicle air pollution emissions worldwide. Reduced wear on the gasoline engine, particularly from idling with no load. Reduced wear on brakes from the regenerative braking system use. Reduced noise emissions resulting from substantial use of electric motor at low speeds, leading to roadway noise reduction and beneficial noise health effects. Note, however, that this is not always an advantage; for example, people who are blind or visually-impaired, and who rely on vehicle-noise while crossing streets, find it more difficult to do safely. Reduced air pollution emissions due to lower fuel consumption, leading to improved human health with regard to respiratory and other illness. Composite driving tests indicate total air pollution of carbon monoxide and reactive hydrocarbons are 80 to 90 percent cleaner for hybrid versus conventional vehicles. Pollution reduction in urban environments may be particularly significant due to elimination of idle-at-rest. Increased driving range without refueling or recharging compared with electric vehicles and perhaps even compared with internal-combustion vehicles. Limitations in range have been a problem for traditional electric vehicles. Hybrids may have substantially longer "operating hours" per unit of petroleum in certain conditions than the mileage-rated fuel efficiency figures may indicate, due to the reduction of idle-at-rest. tag:www.hybridfuture.net,2007://1.8 2007-03-28T05:33:46Z 2007-03-28T05:44:32Z

In a hybrid car, the gasoline engine can be much smaller than the one in a conventional car and are more efficient. Most cars require relatively big engines to produce enough power to accelerate the quickly. A small engine can...

awakers In a hybrid car, the gasoline engine can be much smaller than the one in a conventional car and are more efficient. Most cars require relatively big engines to produce enough power to accelerate the quickly. A small engine can be more efficient and improved by using smaller, lighter parts, by reducing the number of cylinders and by operating the engine closer to its maximum load. Some of the reasons why smaller engines are more efficient than bigger ones include: • A big engine is heavier than the a small one, so the car uses extra energy every time it accelerates or drives up a hill. • Pistons and other internal components are heavier which means more energy is used each time they go up and down in the cylinder. • The displacement of the cylinders is larger, so more fuel is required by each cylinder. • Bigger engines usually have more cylinders, and each cylinder uses fuel every time the engine fires, even if the car isn't moving. The gas engine on a conventional car is sized for the peak power requirement (those few times when you floor the accelerator pedal). In fact, most drivers use the peak power of their engines less than one percent of the time. The hybrid car uses a much smaller engine, one that is sized closer to the average power requirement than to the peak power. There are many tricks in use with today’s hybrids to increase fuel efficiency besides a smaller, more efficient engine. Some of those can help any type of car get better mileage, and some only apply to a hybrid. In order to squeeze every last mile out of a gallon of gasoline, a hybrid car can recover energy and store it in the battery. Whenever you step on the brake pedal in your car, you are removing energy from the car. The faster a car is going, the more kinetic energy it has. The brakes of a car remove this energy and dissipate it in the form of heat. A hybrid car can capture some of this energy and store it in the battery to use later. It does this by using "regenerative braking." That is, instead of just using the brakes to stop the car, the electric motor that drives the hybrid can also slow the car. In this mode, the electric motor acts as a generator and charges the batteries while the car is slowing down. Sometimes they shut off the engine. A hybrid car does not need to rely on the gasoline engine all of the time because it has an alternate power source; the electric motor and batteries. So the hybrid car can sometimes turn off the gasoline engine, for example when the vehicle is stopped at a red light. They also use advanced aerodynamics to reduce drag. When you are driving on the freeway, most of the work your engine does goes into pushing the car through the air. This force is known as aerodynamic drag. This drag force can be reduced in a variety of ways. One sure way is to reduce the frontal area of the car. Think of how a big SUV has to push a much greater area through the air than a tiny sports car. Reducing disturbances around objects that stick out from the car or eliminating them altogether can also help to improve the aerodynamics. For example, covers over the wheel housings smooth the airflow and reduce drag. And sometimes, mirrors are replaced with small cameras. They use low-rolling resistance tires. The tires on most cars are optimized to give a smooth ride, minimize noise, and provide good traction in a variety of weather conditions. But they are rarely optimized for efficiency. In fact, the tires cause a surprising amount of drag while you are driving. Hybrid cars use special tires that are both stiffer and inflated to a higher pressure than conventional tires. The result is that they cause about half the drag of regular tires. Reducing the overall weight of a car is one easy way to increase the mileage. A lighter vehicle uses less energy each time you accelerate or drive up a hill. Composite materials like carbon fiber or lightweight metals like aluminum and magnesium can be used to reduce weight. tag:www.hybridfuture.net,2007://1.7 2007-03-28T05:33:41Z 2007-03-28T05:42:24Z

There are advantages to diesels when delivering constant power for long periods of time, such as suffering less wear while operating at higher efficiency. Combined with hybrid technology, the diesel engine's high torque may offer performance in a car of...

awakers There are advantages to diesels when delivering constant power for long periods of time, such as suffering less wear while operating at higher efficiency. Combined with hybrid technology, the diesel engine's high torque may offer performance in a car of over 100 mpg US (2.35 litres/100 km). Most diesel vehicles can use 100% pure biofuels (biodiesel), so they can use but do not need petroleum at all. These benefits would also likely apply if diesel-electric hybrids were in use. Diesel-electric hybrids with parallel drive trains may have a substantial cost disadvantage to other options. Diesel engines are generally more expensive than gasoline equivalents, due to the demands for higher compression (although this also makes diesels more durable). If this "diesel premium" is added to any additional expense for the hybrid, the diesel-electric combination may make the payback period for such vehicles even longer and less feasible for many consumers. In addition, the higher torque of diesel engines may obviate one of the advantages of the electric motors. tag:www.hybridfuture.net,2007://1.6 2007-03-28T05:33:36Z 2007-03-28T05:41:39Z

Gasoline-electric hybrid cars use the following: Gasoline engine - Much like the one found on most cars, the hybrid car has a gasoline engine, but uses advanced technologies to reduce emissions and increase efficiency. Fuel tank - Gasoline has a...

awakers Gasoline engine - Much like the one found on most cars, the hybrid car has a gasoline engine, but uses advanced technologies to reduce emissions and increase efficiency. Fuel tank - Gasoline has a much higher energy density than batteries do. It takes about 1,000 pounds of batteries to store as much energy as 1 gallon (7 pounds) of gasoline. Electric motor - The electric motor on a hybrid act as a motor as well as a generator. It can draw energy from the batteries to accelerate the car, but acting as a generator, it can slow the car down and return energy to the batteries. Generator - Only producing electrical power, the generator is used mostly on series hybrids. Batteries - The batteries in a hybrid car are the energy storage device for the electric motor. Unlike the gasoline from a fuel tank, the electric motor on a hybrid car can put energy into the batteries as well as draw it out. Transmission - The transmission on a hybrid car performs the same as the transmission in conventional cars. The Honda Insight has a conventional transmission, as do some others. Others, like the Toyota Prius, have radically different ones, which we'll talk about later. The two power sources found in a hybrid car can be combined in different ways. One way, called a parallel hybrid, has a fuel tank which supplies gasoline to the engine and a set of batteries that supplies power to the electric motor. Both the engine and the electric motor can turn the transmission at the same time. The fuel tank and gas engine connect to the transmission. The batteries and electric motor also connect to the transmission independently. In a parallel hybrid, both the electric motor and the gas engine can provide propulsion power. A series hybrid has a gasoline engine that turns a generator, and the generator can either charge the batteries or power an electric motor that drives the transmission. Thus, the gasoline engine never directly powers the vehicle. ]]> tag:www.hybridfuture.net,2007://1.5 2007-03-28T05:33:29Z 2007-03-28T05:39:38Z

The Hybrid Car's Battery Technology The usual battery technology in hybrid vehicles is nickel metal hydride which use sintered electrode or pasted foam electrode. Sintered electrode technology uses sintered Inco Type 255™ powder in the cylindrical batteries that power Honda's...

awakers The Hybrid Car's Battery Technology The usual battery technology in hybrid vehicles is nickel metal hydride which use sintered electrode or pasted foam electrode. Sintered electrode technology uses sintered Inco Type 255™ powder in the cylindrical batteries that power Honda's Civic and Accord HEVs and the Ford Escape HEV. Another type, called pasted foam electrode technology uses Incofoam™ to make battery modules consisting of flat electrode plates. This is the design in Toyota products like the Prius and the Lexus RX 400h SUV. There are several manufacturers of hybrid car batteries that make them for major automobile manufacturers. The two largest manufacturers use both sintered technology and the other pasted foam, each using only one of these technologies. Both use nickel, but there is more of it in the sintered - as much as 16 kilograms per battery pack Not just using nickel-containing rechargeable batteries, there are both a gas engine and an electric motor in hybrid vehicles. The motor draws power from the battery pack that captures, stores and releases electrical energy as the vehicle travels. The HEV battery pack only charges and discharges in a narrow window of the battery's overall capacity, which is unlike conventional batteries, and enables the battery pack to last much longer. Providing power for the electric motor the battery is recharged by recapturing energy that would normally be lost when applying braking or coasting. Gasoline Power vs. Electric Power The gasoline powered car is a gas-powered car with a fuel tank, which supplies gasoline to the engine. Electric cars have a set of batteries that provides electricity to an electric motor. The hybrid is a compromise. It attempts to significantly increase the mileage and reduce the emissions of a gas-powered car while overcoming the shortcomings of an electric car. In order to be useful, a car must meet certain minimum requirements. It should be able to drive at least 300 miles (482 km) between re-fueling, be refueled quickly and easily, and keep up with the other traffic on the road. A gasoline car gets these results but produces a large amount of pollution and usually gets poor gas mileage. An electric car produces almost no pollution, but can only go 50 to 100 miles (80 to 161 km) between charges, and is very slow and inconvenient to recharge. A gasoline-electric car combines these two in an attempt to get the best of both. ]]> tag:www.hybridfuture.net,2007://1.4 2007-03-28T05:33:25Z 2007-03-28T05:37:53Z

A hybrid car is a passenger vehicle that combines two or more sources of power, usually gasoline and electricity. The two types of gasoline-electric hybrid cars are the parallel and the series hybrid, both of which use gasoline-electric hybrid...

awakers A hybrid car is a passenger vehicle that combines two or more sources of power, usually gasoline and electricity. The two types of gasoline-electric hybrid cars are the parallel and the series hybrid, both of which use gasoline-electric hybrid technology, but in different ways. Parallel hybrid cars use a gasoline engine and an electric motor together to move the car forward. In a series hybrid, the gasoline engine either directly powers an electric motor, or charges batteries that will power the motor. Both use regenerative braking to store the kinetic energy generated by brake use in the batteries, which powers the electric motor. Both parallel and series hybrids have small gasoline engines but have much less power (about half) than average gasoline engines. The up side is that they produce much less pollution than standard gasoline cars, and are constructed with ultra lightweight materials like carbon fiber or aluminum. Hybrid car designs are more aerodynamic than most cars, allowing for less wind resistance. These factors combine to make a super efficient car that gets excellent fuel economy and helps the environment by cutting down on pollution. There are other hybrids than electric-internal combustion, such as hydraulic and pneumatic hybrids, in which compressed fluids and compressed air are used for energy storage with regenerative braking. tag:www.hybridfuture.net,2007://1.3 2007-03-28T05:33:18Z 2007-03-28T05:37:21Z

The hybrid car is powered by an internal combustion engine and an electric engine, differing from an electric car which is powered solely by its electric battery. The conventional car runs on gasoline or diesel, the combustion of those fuels...

awakers The hybrid car is powered by an internal combustion engine and an electric engine, differing from an electric car which is powered solely by its electric battery. The conventional car runs on gasoline or diesel, the combustion of those fuels emits harmful pollutants. There are some barriers to widespread acceptance of the electric car including; cost, driving range and the reliance on heavy batteries for power storage. The hybrid car overcomes the shortcomings of both the conventional car and the electric car. The hybrid car is also seen by many as being the bridge between the conventional car and the hydrogen fuel cell car of the future. One of the main characteristics of the Hybrid Cars is its ability to recapture kinetic energy through regenerative braking. Energy is produced when a car breaks, in hybrid cars the energy is used to recharge the batteries, in conventional cars this energy is wasted. The ability of the hybrid car to recapture kinetic energy contributes to its fuel efficiencies. The electric power for the motor is generated from regenerative braking and from the gasoline engine, so hybrids don't have to be "plugged in" to an electrical outlet to recharge. Some differences between hybrid cars and conventional cars are: • Fuel Economy - hybrid cars offer greater fuel economy • Cleaner - hybrid cars emit less emissions • Battery powered - hybrid cars combine an internal combustion engine with a battery • Smaller ICE - hybrid cars have smaller engines than conventional car • Regenerative Braking - The batteries recharge themselves during braking, unlike an electric car, the hybrid car does not need to be plugged in. • Automatic Start/Shutoff - In hybrid cars the engine automatically shuts off when the vehicle comes to a stop. The motor start automatically restarts when the accelerator is pressed. Currently, we find that there are mainly two types of hybrids, full and mild. Full hybrids are often referred to as true hybrids, and are defined as hybrids that can run on either pure engine power or pure electric power, maximizing efficiency and performance. Mild hybrids are also called pseudo and hollow. They cannot run on the battery power alone. The electric motor is for assisting the gas engine when extra power is needed. Hybrids are more expensive mostly because of the power train. Hybrid car essentially carry two power trains. That means that a consumer has to pay for both, adding cost. Many manufactures such as Toyota are trying to development hybrid power trains at half the cost in order to make them more cost effective. tag:www.hybridfuture.net,2007://1.2 2007-03-28T05:33:00Z 2007-03-28T05:36:02Z

Automobiles and light trucks A number of manufacturers including Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault and Toyota currently produce hybrid automobiles and light trucks,. Locomotives Test runs with the NE (new energy) train began in May 2003 JR...

awakers Automobiles and light trucks A number of manufacturers including Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault and Toyota currently produce hybrid automobiles and light trucks,. Locomotives Test runs with the NE (new energy) train began in May 2003 JR East (Japan). These tests validated the system's functionality (series hybrid with lithium ion battery) in cold regions. In 2004, RailPower Technologies tested the Green Goats in the US, which led to orders by the Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific Railways in early 2005. Buses In the United Kingdom, a local manufacturer has introduced a development of the London 'Double-Decker', which use a small diesel engine with an electric storage through a lithium ion battery pack. The use of a 1.9 litre diesel instead of the typical 7.0 litre engine in these buses demonstrates the possible advantages of serial hybrids in extremely traffic-dense environments. Using a battery pack is useful because of a much smaller installed IC-power output with the smaller power unit better reflecting the average power requirement in a city environment. The battery pack and relatively high power electric motors provide the required power peaks for acceleration, and the high installed power of the motors is reflected by a high potential for brake-energy recovery. There are several advantages for Bus services: The smaller engine helps compensate for the additional package space and weight requirements of an energy store (here the lithium ion batteries). The solely electric drive to the axles avoids the need for complex gearboxes and regulatory software & its development that parallel hybrids such as Prius and co. require. The high electric installed power allows for an equivalently high energy recovery. (Automotive hybrids that use small electric motors parallel to IC engines can only recover a small proportion of the available kinetic energy. The remainder is lost as heat in the service brakes as with a conventional non hybrid vehicle). Based on the buses tested in London, a reduction in CO2 emissions of 31% and fuel savings in the range of 40% have been shown compared with a modern 'Euro-4' compliant bus. These savings make the use of similar hybrid concepts in urban environments more probable and attractive to users such as refuse collection, delivery & courier services. With the scale of the potential saving is such that even lead-acid energy storage is viable, depending on the target of the customer. Trucks In 2003 GM introduced a diesel hybrid military (light) truck, equipped with a diesel electric and a fuel cell auxiliary power unit. Hybrid light trucks were introduced 2004 by Mercedes (Hybrid Sprinter) and Micro-Vett SPA (Daily Bimodale). International Truck and Engine Corp. and Eaton Corp. have been selected to manufacture diesel-electric hybrid trucks for a US pilot program serving the utility industry in 2004. In mid 2005 Isuzu introduced the Elf Diesel Hybrid Truck on the Japanese Market. They claim that approximately 300 vehicles, mostly route buses are using Hinos HIMR (Hybrid Inverter Controlled Motor & Retarder) system. There has also been talk of converting garbage trucks, but so far they are sight unseen. They have their own difficulties since these vehicles do stop-start driving and often stand idling. Taxicabs Hybrid technology could be extremely useful for the use of taxicabs. Most of their locations are used in predominantly urban environments; have dense operating schedules, maximizing fuel savings over the life of the vehicle; and may sit for long periods of time at idle, where the hybrid engine could allow the combustion engine to shut off but still retain use of the electrical accessories. Hybrid taxicabs are primarily based on production passenger vehicles, with modifications (often aftermarket) to meet specialized usage requirements and/or local regulations (security features, for example). Since vehicles in taxicab service may operate for 10-20 hours per day, the reduction in local pollution would have a larger effect on the environment than those for private use. ]]> tag:www.hybridfuture.net,2007://1.1 2007-03-28T05:30:22Z 2007-03-28T05:31:25Z

Also known as an HEV or hybrid electric vehicle, hybrid cars are automobiles that are powered by two sources; an internal combustion engine, and an electric motor. Hybrid cars don’t have plugs, as they are charged by the rotation of...

awakers Also known as an HEV or hybrid electric vehicle, hybrid cars are automobiles that are powered by two sources; an internal combustion engine, and an electric motor. Hybrid cars don’t have plugs, as they are charged by the rotation of the wheels, and store energy generated through a process called regenerative braking. Hybrid cars have both environmental and economical benefits. In 1959 the first transistor-based electric car—called the Henney Kilowatt—heralded the development of the electronic speed control that paved the way for modern hybrid electric cars. In the 1960s and 1970s, a prototype of the electric-hybrid vehicle was built by Victor Wouk. Wouk's work with electric hybrid vehicles earned him the title of the "Godfather of the Hybrid"). The prototype had an electric-hybrid drive train which had been put into a 1972 Buick Skylark provided by GM. Made for the 1970 Federal Clean Car Incentive Program, the program was killed by the EPA in 1976. Since then, only hobbyists have built hybrids. None was put into mass production by a major manufacturer until late in the twentieth century. The core design concept of most production hybrids is the regenerative-braking hybrid, developed by Electrical Engineer David Arthurs around 1978 using off-the shelf components and an Opel GT. However the voltage controller to link the batteries, motor (a jet-engine starter motor), and DC generator was Mr. Arthurs. The vehicle had 75 mpg fuel efficiency. Those plans, as well as somewhat updated versions, are still available on the Mother Earth News web site. The Mother Earth News' own 1980 version claimed nearly 84 mpg. The widest use since that time of hybrid technology was actually in diesel-electric locomotives. Also used in diesel-electric submarines, they operate in essentially the same manner as hybrid electric cars. The goal in this case was to allow operation underwater without consuming large amounts of oxygen, rather than worrying about fuel consumption. Most submarines have now moved to nuclear power, which operates underwater indefinitely, though a number of nations continue to rely on diesel-electric fleets. With the arrival of the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius in the 1990s, automotive hybrid technology became successful. These vehicles have a direct linkage from the internal combustion engine to the driven wheels, so the engine can provide acceleration power. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) can be recharged from the electrical power grid and do not require fuel for short trips. The Renault Kangoo was the first production model of this design, released in France in 2003. The down side was that the environmental benefits of plug-in hybrids depend somewhat on the source of the electrical power. For example, electricity generated with wind is cleaner than electricity generated with coal. Though the Prius has been very successful, newer designs have more conventional appearance and are less expensive, often with identical performance and appearance to their non-hybrid counterparts but with 50% better fuel efficiency. With a performance of about 50 US mpg (4.7 L/100km), the Honda Civic Hybrid looks the same as the non-hybrid version. The redesigned 2004 Toyota Prius has more passenger room and cargo area, while increasing energy efficiency, reducing emissions, and power output. Honda has also released a hybrid version of the Accord.