Slowly and steadily, more and more car manufacturers are introducing hybrid vehicles in the market. For example, Toyota has introduced a model called Prius while Honda has introduced Insight. These are hybrid electric vehicles that have been introduced 10 years ago but with the passage of time they have undergone many improvements. They have been re released under new generations. Countries such as Netherlands, United Kingdom and Japan are the forerunners in adopting electric hybrid vehicles.
The hybrid vehicle combines the internal combustion engine with an electric powered propulsion system. The reason of producing hybrid cars is to outperform the conventional car in terms of efficiency and fuel economy. There are additional devices also installed in the hybrid vehicle such as the power splitter which connects the rechargeable batteries and the power sources. These are based at the back of the car.
Today there are quite a few hybrid vehicles in the market and there are many vehicles which are in the development stage. Each of these vehicles may have a different power train and hence they work differently. There are other vehicles such as parallel hybrids which are more efficient for faster speeds. They use the internal combustion engine and the electric motor which are connected to the mechanical transmission.
The series hybrids are more efficient at slower speeds as they reply on electric propulsion system to provide energy to the drive train. The internal combustion engine produces the required power to keep the former running. There are also the power spilt hybrids that are a combination of series and parallel hybrids. These are found in newer models by Lexus, Ford and Toyota. Hybrids use advanced technologies, one of which is regenerative braking. This system converts the kinetic energy of the driver (when he presses the brake) and creates energy that can be used to charge the car battery.
Another technology adopted by several hybrids is the motor generator that makes use of internal combustion engine to spin an electric generator which then produces electricity. This energy is used to charge the vehicle’s batteries. In order to improve fuel efficiency the hybrid vehicle makes use of a start and stop system that power off the combustion engine when not required. Hence there is lesser pollution in the environment. The gasoline engine is smaller in the hybrid as it has to share duties with the electric propulsion system.