What will make a successful hybrid vehicle? If the world's automobile manufacturers knew the answer to this question, we would only have one type of hybrid on the road.
The Chronology of the Hybrid
The Japanese are the recognized leaders in hybrid vehicle development and production. Honda and Toyota are the two largest producers with the Insight and Prius models. U.S. car makers are well behind and have had to license over 20 separate technologies from the Japanese to manufacture their own hybrids.
Industry analysts say US hybrids are just token models and do not represent a serious attempt to get into the hybrid market. The introduction of hybrids in the U.S. has been spurred by the introduction of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations. The standards provided by these regulations mandate that average mileage of the fleet of cars sold by an automaker should be 27.5 mpg.
Toyota was one of the first automobile manufacturers to encapsulate the two forms of energy inside the vehicle, and not to depend on a battery that had to be recharged externally and only provided limited range.
So, for example, the Camry Hybrid has a standard 4-cylinder gasoline engine and a generator, which charges both batteries, the standard car battery which powers internal systems, and the larger hybrid battery which is used to power the electric motor.
What is a Hybrid?
A hybrid is a normal, fuel efficient car that has two motors - an electric motor and a gasoline powered motor, as well as a special system which captures braking energy to store in an on-board battery.
While two motors might suggest a more complex system, there are positives and negatives in the two-motor design. An advantage of the electric motor is that it uses no energy during idle, it shuts down, and uses less energy than a gas motor at low speeds.
On the other hand, gasoline engines perform more efficiently at high speeds and can deliver more power for a given motor weight. During rush hour stop-and-go driving, the electric motor works very well, and does not produce any exhaust, thus reducing smog levels. At higher speeds - above 40 mph, the gas motor kicks in and provides the power and acceleration that many car owners look for when driving on the highway.
Another benefit of having the gasoline engine is it charges the batteries while it’s running. Owners of electric motor only vehicles can be and have been stranded just out of extension cord range of an outlet, whereas hybrid owners can forget about this annoyance. In the hybrid, the gas motor starts automatically when the battery gets low and proceeds to charge the battery - a hybrid never needs to be plugged into an outlet.
Hybrids are Complex and Pricey
All this new technology comes at a price: a hybrid car is complex and expensive. With two motors and the necessary ancillary systems to manage them, as well as a heavy battery and a regeneration system to produce electricity during breaking, the hybrid is more costly to manufacture than a regular gasoline-powered car. Another downside of this complexity is that all systems must work together, adding complexity and possibly more frequent component failure than a gasoline-driven car.
Hybrids Burn Less Gas But Cost More to Buy
On the upside, the rated gas consumption for hybrids is typically 48 to 60 mpg, which is only about 20 percent to 35 percent better than a fuel efficient gasoline powered vehicle, like the Honda Civic, which is rated at 36 mpg. On a price comparison basis, another downside, hybrids cost from $19,000 to $25,000 and gas-saving cars cost $14,000 to $17,000.
Comparing annual fuel bills shows that the difference between a Honda Civic and the Hona Insight is only $220, which means that a hybrid owner might never recover the added initial cost of a hybrid.
How Hybrids are Designed to Reduce Fuel Consumption
Improvements in aerodynamics, weight reduction and a smaller, less powerful gas engine are the primary reasons for the fuel efficiency of the hybrid. Most hybrids do not quite meet the rated gas consumption put out by manufacturers, and the real-life experience of drivers is that hybrids are actually about 10 percent less efficient than rated.
The Green Image of Hybrids
Using 'new' and 'green' in any marketing camapign has a definite impact on consumers and can offset the higher initial cost. As well, to offset perceived reliability problems, strong warrantee packages are being offered by manufacturers. For example, the Honda Insight has an eight-year/80,000-mile warranty on most of the power train, including batteries, and a three-year/36,000-mile warranty on the rest of the car. The Toyota Prius has an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty on the battery and hybrid systems and a three-year/36,000-mile warranty on everything else.
A smart driver will weigh the options and consider how the vehicle will be used. Will it be used for city driving or long hauls? If you drive mostly in the city, you may save enough to warrant the extra cost. Heavy long-distance commuters and lead footers will not save as much.
As for the environmental impact, it is worth considering. A hybrid cuts emissions by 25 percent to 35 percent, over even the most fuel efficient gas-powered vehicles.
The Future of the Hybrid
Some automotive analysts believe that hybrids are probably a transition technology, and that hydrogen or methane fuel cell powered cars will come on the scene in the next ten to twenty years. Meanwhile, the convenience of a self-contained synergistic power system has more appeal than the limited performance of an electric vehicle. Until another form of vehicle fuel and the vehicles designed to use that fuel become widely available, the hybrid's popularity will grow because they offer some advantages to many drivers, in terms of economy, as well as an environmental benefit in reduced CO2 emissions.
http://www.physorg.com/news10031.html
http://www.hybridcars.com/cars.html
Duane Sharp - I am a retired professional engineer (electronics), with over 40 years of writing experience in technology topics, with a focus on the IT ...
