Hybrid Cars Work

The Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) is quite the technological wonder. As a work in progress, the Hybrid Electric Vehicle technology has done much to improve the gas dependence situation and has saved several households and individuals from having to spend so much on fossil fuels.

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.

A Combination

The secret is in the term, “hybrid”. A hybrid car basically just brings out and maximizes all that fuel economy and consumption and electrical power can do together. By putting together both a gas engine and an electrical motor, the combination permits the car to go back and forth between the energy sources. The usual case in a hybrid car though is that it really depends basically on the battery and electrical motors to run the whole vehicle.

You may ask what the gas is for. The car will still need gas to operate an engine that charges the battery which, in turn, runs the whole car. However, the good thing about this set up is that not much gas is required to charge up those batteries. Hence, hybrid cars really only need so much gas to fill their significantly smaller gas tanks and therefore saves people from having to cash out so much on 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.

It takes about 1000 pounds of batteries to equal the energy in a gallon of gasoline. Sounds like a lot of extra weight, but with the new designs this is not a problem. The newer designs are even converting kinetic energy produced by the engine into electric energy for the batteries. However, it really doesnt matter if you understand the inner workings completely. By now you should at least have a basic understanding of what makes these little cars more efficient.

A hybrid has a gasoline engine and also a battery powered generator. The gasoline engine in the equation is much the same as the cars most of us are driving today. In most cases it is a bit smaller than the engines in our somewhat larger automobiles we currently drive. The reason for this is because the generator helps power the hybrid car. Both still operate the same as far as having a transmission to drive the wheels. Albeit a much more sophisticated version than what is in the typical gasoline powered vehicle.

The difference is when the car begins to slow down, the gasoline engine stops and the generator motor takes over, thus saving fuel you would be burning for instance at a stoplight. Now, not only is this a saving for you as a consumer. It is also making the air we breathe cleaner. Both are Im sure you will agree, a good thing. Now, both engines require a tank for the fuel, a gas tank the same as most of us have now, but also a tank for the generator, which is a set of batteries that must be kept charged. You see, this is the purpose for the generator.
Im sure you have seen some of the new hybrid cars on the street and were maybe a bit taken back by their appearance at first. Yes, the new hybrids do take some getting used to, especially the early models. They are a little smaller in size and very aerodynamic in design. And, with a driving force of about 60-90 horsepower, dont feel quite as powerful as your current automobile, but on the horizon are several new models, including SUVs that are much more traditional in their styling.

By: Shavennah

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