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Hybrid Vehicles: All You Need to Know

And probably a whole lot more

by Mac Demere
DriveSmart - Green Corner - autoMedia.com

Hybrid-electric vehicles have been on American roads for more than a decade, but, still, a lot of people don’t truly know what exactly a hybrid vehicle is, much less how one works. A common reaction to a hybrid is: “Why are you putting gasoline in it? Don’t you plug it in?” We’ll tell you everything you need to know about hybrid vehicles and probably a whole lot more. Here are the basics:

Hybrid Basics

1. A hybrid vehicle has two different power sources to allow it to do some things better than if it had just one. Consider a hybrid vehicle the offspring of a marriage between a conventional gasoline-engine car and a battery-only electric vehicle.

2. Almost all hybrids have a gasoline-fueled engine and a battery fed electric motor. The gas engine offers long driving range and quick refueling. The electric motor increases fuel mileage, especially in city driving, and aids acceleration.

3. Some hybrids are designed to offer the acceleration of a big-engine car, while providing the fuel economy of one equipped with a smaller engine. Others focus improving fuel mileage.

4. Several types of hybrid vehicles are on the road today. More versions are coming.

5. Hybrids are about as safe as conventional cars.

6. Hybrids last about as long as conventional cars.

7. Most current hybrids can go little or no distance on electric power alone.

8. For most current hybrids, the batteries are recharged by the gasoline engine.

9. With hybrids coming in the near future, drivers will be able to recharge the batteries by plugging into an electric outlet. An on-board gas engine will also charge the batteries.

10. Some of these plug-in hybrids will use electric motor(s) as their only source of propulsion: The gas engine will be to relegated to recharging the batteries on long trips or when an electric outlet isn’t available.

11. Other plug-in hybrids will continue to use the gas engine to power the wheels, but only after battery power drops to the minimum.

12. Most hybrids recapture some energy. When the car needs to slow down, the electric motor changes into a generator. The drag of turning the generator/motor replaces the brakes while recharging the battery a little bit.

13. In future hybrids, the gas engine may be replaced by a fuel cell. A fuel cell strips electricity from hydrogen (or another fuel) and emits only water vapor and oxygen. Honda fuel-cell-powered prototypes are on the road today.

14. Current hybrids aren’t quite as environmentally friendly as some believe and future hybrids will have a several issues that may limit their greenness.

The Whole Lot More Part

To better understand what a hybrid is, take a trip to the garden or farm. There, a hybrid is the result of combining two species to make something that is better than either of its parents. For instance, hybrid tomatoes are cultivated to produce fruit that is longer lasting, larger, drought-resistant, or has other benefits. Another example: A mule, the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse, is a hybrid that’s stronger and more docile than either.

Most current hybrids use a smaller-than-normal gasoline engine as both their main source of propulsion and to charge the batteries for the electric motor. They can go only very short distances—or not at all—on electricity alone. One reason: To survive the 10-year or 100,000-mile life required by law in some states, battery charge can’t be allowed to go much below about 40 percent or higher than around 80 percent of capacity. Such hybrids work adequately without the electric motor and batteries. They’re a little slow and gas mileage isn’t great, but you get there.

One version of hybrid is sometimes called a light (or, for the seriously geeky, “very light”) hybrid. It does not use an electric motor for propulsion. Instead, when the vehicle is stopped in traffic and, thus, getting zero miles per gallon, the gas engine automatically switches off. An array of traditional lead-acid batteries keeps the air conditioner and other accessories working and provides energy to restart the engine when traffic flows.

Battery Breakthroughs

When General Motors debuted its EV1 all-electric car in the late 1990s, it used lead-acid batteries similar to those that have been in cars since their invention. Under ideal conditions, the first EV1s might go around 60 miles without needing a recharge. However, range dropped to less than a dozen miles under hard acceleration or in winter weather.

Since the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius entered production before 2000, almost all hybrids have used nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries. These hold more electricity and last longer than old-style lead-acid batteries. In the near future, hybrids will employ lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Whether measured by size or weight, Li-ion batteries hold more energy than NiMH batteries. Li-ion batteries used in cars will be significantly different than Li-ion batteries in laptop computers and other personal electronics. While computer batteries employ a flammable solvent as a key element, the Li-ion batteries for cars will replace that with a plastic-like polymer. Some call these Li-poly batteries.

Thanks to this breakthrough in battery technology, near-future hybrids will rely more on their electric motor(s) and batteries and less on the gasoline (or diesel) engine. Some will get a large portion of their energy by being plugged into the electrical outlet in your garage. These are called “plug-in hybrids.” They will be able to handle short drives without using their gas engine. Other near-future hybrids will not use the gas engine to move. Instead, propulsion will come solely from electric motor(s). The gas engine will be reserved for charging the batteries on longer trips.

Hybrid Safety

Hybrid vehicles are no less safe than are conventional cars for auto accident victims, emergency workers or mechanics. In case of a crash, hybrids have multiple devices designed to switch off the dangerous, high-voltage portion of the system. As with conventional cars, emergency workers and mechanics are trained to ensure the cars are made safe before work begins. It’s easy for the careless and uneducated to hurt themselves with a conventional car: Open the hood of a running conventional car and look at the spinning fan and belts.

Hybrid Durability

California and the more than a dozen states that follow its rules made certain hybrid batteries will be durable. Regulations in those states require carmakers to provide a 10-year or 150,000-miles, whichever comes first, warranty on hybrid batteries. Any manufacturer that didn’t make certain almost all of its batteries lasted at least that long would collapse under the weight of warranty claims. Numerous hybrids have been on the road for more than 10 years and many others have covered over 150,000 miles. For the time after the warranty expires, Toyota hopes to offer reconditioned battery packs for about half the price of all-new packs. That’ll be about $3,000. Reconditioned batteries should live about half as long as new units. While plenty of 70- and 80-year-old cars are operational today, it’s unlikely that a 2001 Prius will be running in 2021.

Hybrid Downsides

Despite their green aura, the net environmental impact of hybrids isn’t spectacular. For years, it’s been possible to buy gasoline-powered cars that get about 50 miles per gallon and emit so little tailpipe pollution that it’s hard to measure. The problem with these cars: Few wanted to buy them. Another area of concern: Hybrid batteries are not profitably recyclable and, without subsidies from carmakers (which are ultimately paid for by consumers and auto company stockholders), likely would wind up in landfills. Li-poly batteries are more expensive—and even less likely to be recycled—than NiMH batteries. Electricity for plug-in hybrids will largely come from coal- or natural-gas-fired generators unless more nuclear plants are built. Many people lack easy access to an electric outlet for a plug-in hybrid, whether at home or at work.

About the Author

Mac Demere is a freelance automotive writer, vehicle tester, driving instructor, accomplished race driver, and precision driver for TV and commercials. He competed in NASCAR Southwest Tour and IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona. He also holds a journalism degree and has written for several websites, newspapers and magazines including autoMedia.com, Motor Trend, Automobile, and Popular Mechanics.