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Hybrid Electric VehiclesHybrid electric vehicles are cars and trucks that possess a marriage between an electric motor and a gasoline internal combustion engine. They are state of the art vehicles that were built in response to the fact that the world’s fossil oil supply is finite and that our consumption of that oil supply for gasoline is constantly rising. By using the hybrid electric vehicle technology, a vehicle can be designed and configured to meet different performance objectives. The vehicle can be setup to maximize fuel efficiency, maximize power output or even to provide power to external devices. How Does a Hybrid Work?The picture below is a drawing of a generic hybrid electric vehicle design.
Each pictured item works as follows: Battery - The battery in a hybrid electric vehicle stores the electricity that is generated by either the gasoline engine or the regenerative braking system. Internal Combustion Engine - The internal combustion engine in a hybrid electric vehicle is a small highly efficient gas powered auto engine. The gasoline engine is the primary power source when the vehicle is actually moving. Electric Motor - The electric motor in a hybrid electric vehicle starts the gasoline engine and provides additional power to the gasoline engine when needed. It also converts the mechanical energy from both the regenerative braking system and the gasoline engine into electricity to recharge the battery. Most hybrid electric vehicles can use the electric motor by itself for stop and start and other low speed driving such as backing up to further increase fuel efficiency. Power Split Device – The power split device in a hybrid electric vehicle controls how all of the energy being generated by the different components is used. It can allow the electric motor to assist the gasoline engine or use its energy to recharge the batteries. Generator – The generator in a hybrid electric vehicle converts the mechanical energy from the gasoline engine into electricity. It can also be used to directly start the gasoline engine instantly if it is turned off. Other Important FeaturesAutomatic Start and Stop – the automatic stop/start feature in a hybrid electric vehicle automatically shuts off both the gasoline and electric motors when the vehicle is stopped so energy is not wasted in idling. The battery will continue to power all of the other electric components including the air conditioning. As soon as the accelerator is pressed, both motors are restarted. Regenerative Braking – The regenerative braking feature in a hybrid electric vehicle allows the vehicle to capture the energy used to stop the vehicle to generate electricity to recharge the battery. Tax Advantage – The federal government
was offering a tax deduction for purchasing a hybrid electric
vehicle. It expired December 31, 2005. However, the government
is considering a tax credit for purchasing a new hybrid vehicle
in the future. |
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