Article: Hybrid Cars

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A hybrid vehicle uses multiple energy sources or propulsion systems to provide motive power. This most commonly refers to gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, which use gasoline (petrol) and electric batteries for the energy used to power internal-combustion engines (ICEs) and electric motors. These powerplants are usually relatively small and would be considered "underpowered" by themselves, but they can provide a normal driving experience when used in combination during acceleration and other maneuvers that require greater power.

Modern mass-produced hybrids can recharge their batteries while underway. When cruising or idling, some of the output of the combustion engine is fed to a generator (sometimes merely the main electric motor running backwards) which generates electricity to charge the batteries. This contrasts with all-electric cars which use batteries charged by an external source. Most hybrids still require gasoline as fuel. though diesel and other fuels such as ethanol or plant based oils have also seen occasional use. One benefit of hybrids is reduced wear and tear on the gasoline engine.

Hybrids are more environmentally-friendly than traditional internal combustion engine vehicles because they generally provide greater fuel economy. For greater discussion of specific operating modes used in different hybrid designs, see the Types section below.

The first successful hybrid-electric car was engineered by Ferdinand Porsche in 1899. A recent working prototype was built by Herman Wouk's brother Victor Wouk (known as the Godfather of the Hybrid) into a 1972 Buick Skylark provided by GM for the 1970 Federal Clean Car Incentive Program, but the program was killed by the EPA in 1976. Since then, hobbyists have continued to build hybrids but none was put into mass production by a major manufacturer until the waning years of the twentieth century. A forgotten attempt was by the Bill Clinton administration with the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) program in September 29, 1993 that involved Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, USCAR, the DoE, and other various governmental agencies to engineer the next efficient and clean vehicle. The resulting hybrid prototypes never made it into production as the program was replaced by the hydrogen focused FreedomCAR initiative of George W. Bush's administration in 2001.

In the intervening period, the widest use of hybrid technology was actually in diesel-electric submarines, which operate in essentially the same manner as hybrid electric cars. However, in this case the goal was to allow operation underwater without consuming large amounts of oxygen, rather than economizing on fuel. Since then, many submarines have moved to nuclear power, which can operate underwater indefinitely, though a number of nations continue to rely on diesel-electric fleets.

Automotive hybrid technology became successful in the 1990s when the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius became available. These vehicles have a direct linkage from the internal combustion engine to the driven wheels, so the engine can provide acceleration power. The 2000s saw development of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which can be recharged from the electrical power grid and don't require conventional fuel for short trips. The Renault Kangoo was the first production model of this design, released in France in 2003.

The Prius has been in high demand since its introduction. Newer designs have more conventional appearance and are less expensive, often appearing and performing identically to their non-hybrid counterparts while delivering 50% better fuel efficiency. The Honda Civic Hybrid appears identical to the non-hybrid version, for instance, but delivers about 50 US mpg (4.7 L/100km). The redesigned 2004 Toyota Prius improved passenger room, cargo area, and power output, while increasing energy efficiency and reducing emissions. The Honda Insight is still on sale and has a devoted base of owners.

2004 saw the first hybrid SUV released, Ford Motor Company's Ford Escape Hybrid. Toyota announced model year 2005 hybrid versions of the Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX 400h, and has plans to add hybrid drivetrains to every model it sells in the coming decade. Honda has also announced the release of a hybrid version of the Accord. Also, Nissan announced the release of the Altima hybrid (technology supplied by Toyota) around 2006.

Honda, which offers Insight, Civic and Accord hybrids, sold 26,773 hybrids in the first 11 months of 2004. Toyota has sold a cumulative 306,862 hybrids between 1997 and Nov. 2004 and Honda has sold a total of 81,867 hybrids between 1999 and November 2004.

In 2003 GM introduced a diesel hybrid military (light) truck, equipped with a diesel electric and a fuel cell auxiliary power unit. Hybrid light trucks were introduced 2004 by Mercedes (Hybrid Sprinter) and Micro-Vett SPA (Daily Bimodale). International Truck and Engine Corp. and Eaton Corp. have been selected to manufacture diesel-electric hybrid trucks for a US pilot program serving the utility industry in 2004. In mid 2005 Isuzu introduced the Elf Diesel Hybrid Truck on the Japanese Market. They claim that approximately 300 vehicles, mostly route busses are using Hinos HIMR (Hybrid Inverter Controlled Motor & Retarder) system.

While some manufacturers are using power generated from the hybrid systems to give vehicles added performance, these hybrid vehicles still offer equal or better fuel efficiency over their conventionally-powered counterparts. The trade-off between added performance and improved fuel efficiency is mainly something controlled by the software within the hybrid system. In the future, manufacturers may provide hybrid-owners with the ability to set this balance (fuel efficiency vs. added performance) as they wish, through a user-controlled setting.

There are many types of hybrids, differentiated by how the electric and fueled halves of the powertrain connect, and at what times each portion is in operation. Two major categories are series hybrids and parallel hybrids, though parallel designs are most common today. Some hybrid vehicles don't even use electricity for auxiliary energy storage. Most hybrids, no matter the specific type, use regenerative braking to recover energy when slowing down the vehicle. This simply involves running the motor backwards as a generator. Many designs also shut off the internal combustion engine when it is not needed in order to save energy. That concept is not unique to hybrids.the Volkswagen Lupo 3L is one example of a conventional vehicle that shuts off its engine when at a stop.

ARTICLE DISCLAIMER: To learn more about Hybrids and related topics, please visit www.Wikipedia.com. This article was adapted from information in Wikipedia, with permission granted by the GNU license. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts. If you publish this article or any work derived from it, then you must also display this GNU License information, and you must grant everyone else the right to republish and edit your work as well. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hybrid Vehicle". Finally, there is no guarantee that the information in this article is accurate; for more information on disclaimers, please see Wikipedia General Disclaimer.

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