Hybrids

Vehicles of the future:

Fuel prices are up again and all indications are that they will increase even for the. This must be an issue that worries your mum and dad. When the fuel price goes up, prices of all other goods and services that are related to transport go up. So, automatically, the cost of living goes up.

Is there a solution for this? Of course, at least to some extent, where the fuel issue is concerned.

To beat the problem of fuel, scientists have invented hybrid cars. What is a hybrid car? A hybrid vehicle (HV) uses two or more different power sources to drive the vehicle, such as: an on-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a fuelled power source (internal combustion engine or fuel cell) for vehicle driving force.

It is also called a bi-energy vehicle. The hybrid vehicle typically achieves greater fuel economy and lower emissions than standard internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), resulting in fewer emissions being generated. These savings are primarily achieved by four elements of a typical hybrid design:

1) Bringing back energy normally wasted during braking;

2) Having significant battery storage capacity to store and reuse brought back energy;

3) Shutting down the gasoline or diesel engine during traffic stops or while coasting or other idle periods;

4) Relying on both the gasoline (or diesel engine) and the electric motors for peak power needs, resulting in a smaller gasoline or diesel engine sized more for average usage rather than peak power usage.

These features make a hybrid vehicle particularly efficient for city traffic, where there are frequent stops and idling periods. In addition to this, noise emissions are reduced, particularly at idling and low operating speeds, in comparison to usual gasoline or diesel-powered engine vehicles.

For continuous high speed highway use, these features are much less useful in reducing emissions. Vehicles which have significant idle periods and only occasional needs of peak power like railroad switching trains or repeated lifting and lowering cycles like rubber tyred gantrys are also good candidates for hybrid systems resulting in potentially significant fuel and emission savings.

How a hybrid vehicle works

Basically, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) combines an internal combustion engine and an electric motor powered by batteries, mixing the best features of today's combustion engine cars and electric vehicles.

The combination allows the electric motor and batteries to help the standard engine operate more efficiently, cutting down on fuel use. Meanwhile, the gasoline-fuelled combustion engine overcomes the limited driving range of an electric vehicle.

In the end, this hybridisation gives you the ability to drive 500 miles or more using less fuel and never having to plug in for recharging.

Gasoline-fuelled HEVs are among a select few vehicle technologies that can provide dramatically increased fuel economy and extremely low levels of smog-forming and cancer-causing emissions, while delivering the safety and performance the public has come to expect.

But that all depends on how well automakers apply the technology. When looking at hybrids, no matter what the technology is the clearest and most direct way to evaluate the environmental performance is by its fuel economy and emissions.

Not all hybrids are created equal. Actually, there are degrees of hybridisation such as 'mild' and 'full' and even different drive trains utilised depending on which hybrid you're looking at.

If we approach hybrids by looking at five technology steps that separate conventional vehicles from battery electric vehicles, we can better evaluate how a particular hybrid operates. To be a true hybrid, a vehicle needs the first three steps. The fourth and fifth create the potential for hybrids with superior energy and environmental performance.

5 steps to hybridisation Idle-off capability

Regenerative braking capacity

Power assist and engine downsizing (at this step you reach a "mild" hybrid) Electric-only drive (at this step you reach a "full" hybrid)

Extended battery-electric range (at this step you become a "plug-in" hybrid) So, next time your parents are looking around to buy a vehicle, insist them to buy an environmental-friendly and economical hybrid vehicle.

Compiled by Janani Amarasekara