What Exactly Is A Hybrid Vehicle?

The dictionary definition of a hybrid is; a noun describing a thing made by combining two different elements; a mixture. A hybrid vehicle is usually a car or truck with both a gasoline or diesel combustion engine, and an electric motor or motors. 

Common to all gasoline-electric cars currently available, a conventional fuel tank holds the diesel or gasoline for the combustion engine. Electric batteries store a charge to power the vehicle's electric motor or motors.

A great many car manufacturers offer hybrid vehicles. Some of the most popular makes and models are the Saturn Vue, Toyota’s Prius, Yaris, Highlander Hybrid and Camry Hybrid, the Ford Escape Hybrid, Honda's Insight and Civic Hybrid, and the Lexus RX 400h and 450h. There are more hybrid brands available, as well as a great many new hybrid cars, SUVs and pickup trucks under development.

The advantages derived from driving hybrid cars and trucks go beyond a cleaner environment and improved fuel economy. Car makers also benefit from developing and producing hybrid vehicles. Hybrids provide car makers with a solution for meeting ever tightening Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements, as well as help meeting limits being imposed on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Since hybrid batteries are considered part of the emissions system they are covered under terms of the mandatory emissions warranty of 8 years or 100,000 miles in federal emissions states, and 10 years or 150,000 miles for states using the California emissions standards.  It is because of these compliance advantages automobile manufacturers will often produce and sell hybrids vehicles for little or no profit. Each hybrid produced reduces the car makers overall fuel and emissions count across its entire production.

How a hybrid vehicles works...

The electric motor used in hybrid cars is more accurately a motor-generator. The motor-generator provides supplemental acceleration when operating as a motor by drawing electricity from the battery. Most hybrid vehicles have one or two motor-generators, while a few models have as many as three.

With a hybrid, an engine's traditional starter motor is rendered unnecessary because the motor-generator takes over this function. A hybrid's on-board computer shuts the gasoline or diesel burning engine off while the vehicle is stopped at a traffic light, then restarts it with the electric motor when the brake is released. This avoids wasting fuel while the car idles, improving fuel consumption and reducing tailpipe emissions.

All gasoline-electric hybrids are basically the same in principle, electric motors assist a combustion engine, but some are more powerful. To denote which have more or less power, terms were developed by hybrid car makers to describe the different levels. These are; Mini Hybrid, Mild Hybrid and Strong Hybrid.

The first, "Mini hybrids", refers to a hybrid system that adds nothing more than electric assist to the stop-start system. Since mini hybrids do not have full hybrid capabilities, they use smaller, inexpensive nickel-metal hydride or lithium-ion batteries.

"Mild hybrids" are usually parallel hybrids that do not have enough electric power to drive the car using the electric motors, so the gasoline engine has to be constantly running. The electric motor engages automatically when more power for acceleration or going up hills is required, but otherwise remains in standby mode.

The "Strong hybrids" are series-parallel vehicles, meaning they have electric motors and batteries powerful enough to drive the vehicle using electric motors alone. Strong hybrids include the stop-start system and gas engine assist incorporated in the mini and mild hybrids as well.

Hybrid vehicles use one of two types of battery. Nickel-metal hydride batteries are used in most hybrids but are not the best choice for plug-in use. For plug-in hybrids, Lithium-ion batteries are lighter and able to store more charge  than nickel-metal hydride batteries so are the preferred for newer, plug-in hybrids.  Research into batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles is ongoing, with the goal being to develop lighter, lower cost batteries that are capable of greater range.

Hybrid vehicles are not simply electric motors and unique computer software installed in a conventional gasoline or diesel powered vehicle. Design modifications were required. For example, power steering in a conventional vehicle requires the motor to be running. Hybrids use electronic power steering (EPS) instead.

Air-conditioning systems also need the motor to be running. Hybrid models with enough battery capacity use an electrically driven compressor, while hybrids with less power continue to rely on the engine driven compressors. In these hybrids the driver must engage a special A/C mode to limit compressor function when idling. When not engaged the engine will continue to run, eliminating any fuel savings and emissions reduction.

Hybrids, and to some extent electric cars, may one day equal or exceed the popularity of combustion engine vehicles. As hybrids' popularity continues to climb, greater innovation, increased power, improved range and lower costs will enhance sales.

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