| | | Hybrid / Electric Cars

From WikiVerde

The general public is exposed to the words hybrid vehicle with little concept of what a hybrid vehicle actually is, other than it is better for the environment and uses less gas. Both of these assumptions are correct but the concept can sometimes be a bit confusing, especially when there is no sound coming from the vehicle when stopped or running on electric power. Essentially, a hybrid electric vehicle runs on a combination of alternative fuel and electricity. Both work good at moving a vehicle but each is more efficient at certain times.

To get the vehicle moving, all that is needed is an electric motor; which is why the car makes so little sound. Once the vehicle reaches a certain speed (around 40mph+-) the engine starts to run. This takes over the running of the car but also works to recharge the electric motor which got the car moving. Since the electric motor is doing all the work in a “stop and go” environment, the car uses less energy because this environment usually requires quite a bit of alternative fuel.

1 First produced in 1907
2 Waiting for its Time to Come
3 It’s all Electric
4 Loosing a Few Pounds
5 Fuel has its Place
6 Issues Concerning Hybrid Cars
7 References

First produced in 1907

Although electric/hybrid cars are becoming increasingly popular in the first years of the 21st century, their first beginnings date back to the turn of the 20th. In 1907, a company called L’Energie Electro-Mecanique manufactured an electric car that ran on 24 HP (some may point to 1901s’ Ferdinand Porsches’ Mixie.) The car was a far sighted attempt but was of little success at the time.

Waiting for its Time to Come

The concept of an electric hybrid car was destined to stay dormant until the 1960’s when General Motors Corp. introduced a concept car called the XP-883. This concept car never made it past its developmental stage but used a 2 cylinder engine and 12 volt batteries located at the back of the vehicle. The car had a certain potential as it could reach speeds of 60mph in 30 seconds but its timing was not conducive to the motoring public's’ tastes of the time. If an initial promoter title of the hybrid were to be granted, it would likely be Victor Wouk who was given great accolades in the 1970s’ for his work. He too, however, was ahead of his time.

Through the 1970’s and 80’s there were several developmental vehicles that experimented with electric/ hybrid options but none were ready to match the cost needs and tastes of the general public. It is 1997 that could be thought of as the year when the electric hybrid came of age. This was the year when the Toyota Prius began to be mass produced and offered in Japan. It is often thought to be synonymous with the general concept of an ecologically significant step in automotive transit and was followed fairly closely by other automotive company offerings by Mazda, Renault and Honda. In 2008, as demand for environmentally friendly products continues to grow, most world automotive companies have begun to offer various forms of hybrid electric vehicles with various levels of efficiency and style.

It’s all Electric

A hybrid electric car relies on two fairly simple concepts: electricity and weight. Where electric hybrids are concerned, all that one needs to understand is that electricity is stored in a battery and used to start the car. Your car may run on gasoline, but it is started by electricity from your car battery. To make this starting process work, and continue to work, in a regular car the car needs a starter motor and an alternator. In addition to the battery itself these two parts are fairly heavy metal parts. The hybrid electric car also needs an electrical charge to start, but its battery is a lighter nickel metal-hydride model and it does not need a starter or alternator to keep it going start after start. This is because of the advances which make hybrids possible.

Loosing a Few Pounds

Weight is the second item that makes electric hybrids efficient. If the thought that it takes a certain amount of effort to get something moving (like a wheel barrow) is considered it is easily understood that it takes less effort to move something that weighs less. But nonetheless, it still takes a bit of effort to get the weight moving. After the effort is used to get the weight moving it is not lost but rather stored up in what is being moved . The efficiency of the electric hybrid is found in redirecting that energy, through the breaking process (called regenerative breaking) to the more efficient battery so the car can start over and over again.

Fuel has its Place

Once a hybrid electric car does get moving there is a point where an alternative fuel becomes more efficient then the electric battery. A gearing system takes over at this point and switches the engine on at higher speeds. But, since the car is largelymoving with all that effort stored in it, it requires less alternative fuel to keep it moving at that speed. Essentially, the car is getting highway mileage all the time. What about acceleration and power?

Within the United States, automotive surveys indicate that the consumer wants a vehicle that has quite a bit of power. Above any other option, other then safety, the vehicle needs to be able to get up to speed quickly. As the novelty and realization that environmental and gas prices have been met the car still needs to satisfy this need. Car makers understand this need and are offering models now, or in the very near future, that address this need.

Issues Concerning Hybrid Cars

The hybrid electric car is not without issues. The technology is still finding its wheel. In 2008, some suggest that hybrid vehicles may operate at such a temperature that they will require more water to keep them cool. Definitive studies on the matter are yet to be carried out but the sheer number of potential hybrids slated for the future does raise the issue of reducing fossil fuel use at the expense of water consumption. Ultimately, the overall issue is the same. There is no ultimate solution to transportation other then walking. Hybrid electric vehicles are more efficient, reduce wear on existing roads, help clear the air, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and reduce noise pollution but they are not perfect from a utopian point of view.