A Look At How Hybrid Cars Work

The Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) is quite a marvel. Even as a work in progress, it has improved the gas-dependence situation and has saved many from having to spend so much on fossil fuels and has even helped save some taxpayer money.

So what is it under the hood that is creating all these wondrous things that seem to improve the lifestyle of the average consumer? Let's take a look at how hybrid cars work.

What's In The Combination?

It's all in the keyword, "hybrid." A hybrid car simply brings out all the best in fuel economy and consumption and in the electrical power under the hood. By combining both a gas engine and an electrical motor, the combination allows the vehicle to switch back and forth between these two energy sources. However, the usual case is that a hybrid car really depends primarily on the battery and electrical motors to run the whole thing.

What is the gas for? The engine will still require fuel to run a motor that charges the battery. In turn, this motor charged by the engine runs the whole car. However, the beauty of this set up is that only a minimum amount of fuel is needed to charge up those batteries. Hybrid cars only need so much fuel to fill their relatively smaller gas tanks, thus, saving people from having to spend so much money on their gas.

The Distance

In order to actually see how a hybrid car works, one would have to take one for a spin on a full tank and compare the results in mileage with a car that runs only on gas. One will definitely see the huge difference in cars dependent on electric motors. Going a great distance is achieved by the way the hybrid works. There are 3 essential technologies that allow this to happen.

The first technology in hybrid cars is known as the regenerative braking. This includes an electric engine that applies resistance to the drive train which, in turn, causes the wheels to stop or to slow down. The energy from the wheels turns the engine which in real time acts as a generator and transforms the energy wasted during coasting and braking into electricity. This electricity is then reserved and stored in the battery until it is required by other functions in the electric motor.

The next technology is known as elect motor assist and it provides additional power to assist the engine in acceleration like when speeding up or ascending. This means that the smaller engine (electric motor) is used and is more efficient than an internal combustion engine that requires and burns a lot of gas.

Another hybrid car technology that is beginning to pick up in a lot of modern hybrid car is the automatic start and shutdown. This technology allows a hybrid vehicle to stop in the middle of traffic or at a stoplight, thus, shutting down the whole engine as well, ultimately preventing the engine from wasting energy and fuel from just being idle. When the accelerator is stepped on again, the engine will start up automatically and acceleration is made available. It's a clever option that is ideal for city driving. When combined, these three technologies spell how hybrid cars work.

Article Source: http://www.SponsorDirectory.com/Free-Content

Planning to get your own hybrid car? Find out more how hybrid cars work or get more unbiased hybrid car reviews from Anton Rowd now.
Don't reprint this article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated