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How Hybrids Work
by Scott HarkerThere are two main types of hybrid cars: series hybrid cars and parallel hybrid cars.
Parallel hybrid cars
Parallel hybrid cars work by using a combination of a customary gas engine and a high output electric motor.
The different elements of the gasoline engine or electric motor start working as higher or lower levels of
power output are required. If the car is being driven slowly and accelerating at a reasonable level, the electric
motor will work on its own until a bigger power output is needed at a higher speed. Then the small high
performance gas engine takes over moving the car.
Since the acceleration is powered by the electric motor, the gas engine can be much smaller and more economical. There is no need for a great deal of energy, merely enough to keep the car at a steady speed, or to move the car from a mid range, around 40 mph, to a higher speed. This requires a lot less energy than the initial movement from a standstill and consequently can be achieved with a lower level of power. This is the reason for the better mpg of the parallel hybrid car.
The parallel system of using both the gas engine and electric motor for hybrid cars also means that there is less loss of power when the car is traveling at higher speeds. The energy is not required to go through the batteries and electric motor before providing power to the car. When traveling in this mode there is no need for the electric motor to operate and this allows the batteries to be recharged by the gas engine as the vehicle is traveling along. This assures there will be plenty of power when the hybrid car slows and switches back to the electric motor.
Series Hybrid Cars
Series Hybrid Cars: a series design works by powering the vehicle solely through an electric motor. The batteries supply the energy to the motor. Since the power arrives at the motor through the battery, series hybrid cars need a substantially larger reserve of power and consequentially a greater amount of batteries need to be carried in the car.
The electric motor only uses the exact amount of power required for the task at hand. If you spend hours in a traffic jam, you may get a little hot under the collar, but your car will not be overheating. An electric motor does not need to tick over or idle when sitting in traffic; it will simply start turning when you start moving. When driving hybrid cars, there will be no power (although maybe a little temper) lost even in the most extreme of gridlocks. In these situations when the vehicle is still, the electric motor is not working, and there is no need for the batteries to be recharged. Recharging does begin when power is again being used as the car starts to move forward.
The large battery supply that is required for series hybrid cars is kept charged with energy created by a gas powered generator. This gas generator only needs to operate when the batteries are in need of extra power. Often with urban driving there is no need for the gas unit to operate as only low levels of power are required. This allows series hybrid car to run without emissions for city driving! Of course, if some higher powered driving, as for highways or main routes is done, the consequent use of electric power means that the hybrid cars batteries will draw upon their full potential. The gas generator will kick in and emissions are produced.
There are advantages to both systems of powering hybrid cars. The parallel system appears more flexible as it allows for the option of either power source to be transferred directly to drive the car without going through another separate means of transmission to the wheels. It maybe more suited for variable driving conditions and longer trips. On the other hand for short trips and city driving, the series power system produces less emissions and is more fuel efficient.
