Hybrid electric vehicle
hideA hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a hybrid vehicle that combines a conventional internal combustion engine propulsion system with an electric propulsion system. The presence of the electric powertrain is intended to achieve better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle. A hybrid electric vehicle is also a form of electric vehicle; a variety of types of HEV exist, and the degree to which they function as EVs varies as well. The most common form of HEV is the hybrid electric car, an automobile driven by a gasoline internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric motors powered by batteries.
Modern HEVs make use of efficiency-improving technologies such as regenerative braking, which converts the vehicle's kinetic energy into battery-replenishing electric energy, rather than wasting it as heat energy as vehicles equipped with conventional brakes do. Some varieties of HEVs use their internal combustion engine to generate electricity by spinning an electrical generator (this combination is known as a motor-generator), to either recharge their batteries or directly feed power to the electric motors that drive the vehicle. Many HEVs reduce idle emissions by shutting down the ICE at idle and restarting it when needed; this is known as a start-stop system. A hybrid-electric produces less emissions from its ICE than a comparably-sized gasoline car, as an HEV's gasoline engine is usually smaller than a pure fossil-fuel vehicle, and if not used to directly drive the car, can be geared to run at maximum efficiency, further improving fuel economy.
The first gasoline-electric hybrid car was released by the Woods Motor Vehicle Company of Chicago in 1917. The hybrid was a commercial failure, proving to be too slow for its price, and too difficult to service. The hybrid-electric vehicle would not become widely available until the release of the Toyota Prius in Japan in 1997, followed by the Honda Insight in 1999. While initially perceived as unnecessary due to the low cost of gasoline, worldwide increases in the price of petroleum caused many automakers to release hybrids in the late 2000s; they are now perceived as a core segment of the automotive market of the future. Worldwide sales of hybrid vehicles produced by Toyota reached 1.7 million vehicles in January of 2009. The second-generation Honda Insight was the top-selling vehicle in Japan in April 2009, marking the first occasion that an HEV has received the distinction. American automakers have made development of hybrid cars a top priority.
For more information about Hybrid electric vehicle, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with hybrid electric vehicle
Plugging into an electric vehicle revolution
Oct 27, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
A road trial of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which could one day end up in every Australian driveway, is underway. Over the next three months, staff from Victorian energy distributor SP AusNet ...
Costs of plug-in cars key to broad consumer acceptance
Oct 21, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
A University of Michigan survey released today shows widespread consumer interest in buying plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). But the cost of the cars is much more influential than environmental and other non-economic ...
Clemson researchers study energy savings with electric cars and IntelliDrive technology
Sep 28, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Clemson University researchers have been awarded a $470,000 National Science Foundation grant to study making plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) more efficient to reduce fossil fuel use.
Hybrids getting revved
Aug 25, 2009 |
2.7 / 5 (3) |
2
"Experts" have long been saying the popularity of hybrid vehicles is waning, in parallel to lower gas prices. Say it ain't so? It ain't.
Building a Better Battery
Jul 21, 2009 |
4 / 5 (6) |
0
Amid corporate restructuring plans, car czars and a waning economy, the struggling automotive industry is tasked with providing more efficient and economical options for car buyers. While foreign markets have ...
Report examines limits of national power grid simulations
May 07, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
America's power grid today resembles the country's canal system of the 19th Century. A marvel of engineering for its time, the canal system eventually could not keep pace with the growing demands of transcontinental transportation.
EarthTalk: Are hybrid cars really better for the environment?
Mar 30, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (32) |
16
Dear EarthTalk: If you have an electric or plug-in hybrid car, you're paying for electricity rather than gasoline all or most of the time. How does that cost compare to a gas-powered car's cost-per-mile? And since the electricity ...
Obama puts up $2.4 bln for electric vehicles
Mar 19, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (7) |
2
President Barack Obama Thursday unveiled a 2.4 billion dollar boost for electric vehicle development, vowing to compete with foreign nations in the race to be world leader on renewable energy.
Reducing CO2 through technology and smart growth
Feb 11, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
A Georgia Tech City and Regional Planning study on climate change, published February 10, 2009 online by Environmental Science and Technology, shows that "smart growth" combined with the use of hybrid vehicl ...
Software eases flow to fluid power trucks
Dec 24, 2008 |
4 / 5 (2) |
0
Eaton Corporation is using IBM modeling software to develop series hydraulic hybrid systems. Replacing a vehicle’s conventional drive train and transmission, the series hydraulic hybrid (SHH) system promises dramatic fuel ...
