What’s the difference between electric cars and hybrid cars?
By Cars & Motorcycles on Mar 09, 2009 with Comments 1
Basically, how do their motors work and why?
Filed Under: Hybrid Cars
About the Author:
By Cars & Motorcycles on Mar 09, 2009 with Comments 1
Basically, how do their motors work and why?
Filed Under: Hybrid Cars
About the Author:
Comments (1)
If I put a gasoline engine on a bicycle it could be called a HYBRID vehicle.
It the motor can operate in such a way that I can also pedel the vehicle while the motor also turned the wheels it might be called a PARALLEL HYBRID beause both my feet and the motor are contributing to the power directly.
If on the other hand the motor were positioned in a way to jack up my seat giving me some mechanical advantage it might be called a SERIES HYBRID because one power source is feeding into the other which drives the wheels.
In none of these examples is there an electric motor. A hybrid vehicle does not have to be electric. But there are many advantages to putting an electric motor in a vehicle either as a series hybrid or a parallel hybrid. Motors and generators are very similar. Work applied to a motor can make it act like a generator. This is convient for making the wheels drive the motor as a generator. This not only brakes the vehicle but can recharge batteries. Overall it makes for a more efficient vehicle.
Electric cars are also quiet, cleaner, and require little compared to internal combustion engines. Their high efficiency levels, low maintenance and regenerative braking can lead to their being much cheaper to operate.
A hybrid vehicle is a compromise between those advantages and presently popular technology. Other reasons for making a hybrid is to take advantage of the strengths of each vehicle. An electric motor is about 90% efficient and has all of it’s torque from a standstill. This makes it a good motor to start the car rolling. A gasoline engine is only about 15% efficient through a normal drivetrain and it needs to be up to speed for it’s full torque. This can be raised to about 30% without a drivetrain. If the gas engine is used as a generator in a series hybrid the drivetrain can be eliminated and the motor can run where it is most efficient.
An electric vehicle can somehow “make” it’s electricity as in a fuel cell vehicle, a vehicle with solar pannels or an electric vehicle with a generator attached. Some of these might be considered a series hybrid. It can store the electicity onboard in a battery or it can have the power transmitted to it as is the case with subways and trams. There is an electric motor that drives the car in each case.
A parallel hybrid is a different animal. It can have two different ways to drive the car. Two different systems in parallel. Usually this means that the expense of construction will go up. If batteries were cheaper the electic vehicle would be cheaper as it has far fewer parts.