What is a hybrid car? How do they work?

If you put it on a scale table and demand a comparison, you think a Toyota Prius will have something in common compared to models like: Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Insight or Porsche Cayenne . ??? The answer is that they can all be equipped with a "hybrid" energy transmission system , also known as a "Hybrid" - a well-known system thanks to the " merit" of the Toyota Prius . At the present time, Hybrid cars have become more popular than ever, initially with only small cars, now this model has spread to both medium and large vehicles, and both big SUVs, pits, etc.

In an age when the process of industrialization and modernization is taking place anywhere in the world as today, the demand for energy is immense. Therefore, fuel and energy savings are always a top requirement for each country and every industry, especially the automobile industry which always requires to change every day. The solution is a flexible combination of gasoline engine, electric motor and mechanisms to conserve and convert energy efficiently.

Prius is the "flag" in the Hybrid car segment.

So what is a Hybrid car really like? How do they work? How can they help save fuel, etc. All will be answered through what is presented below.

Hybrid car definition

A vehicle is called a "Hybrid" if it uses two or more energies to create traction. More precisely, the Hybrid car will be equipped with a traditional internal combustion engine, a fuel tank, a battery pack and one or more electric motors. Hybrid cars are often mistaken for "electric cars" - vehicles that only use electric power from the outside to operate, this type of car is called "Plug-in Hybrid".

Hybrid cars are made to combine gasoline engines and electric motors reasonably to achieve different requirements, for example: improving fuel consumption, increasing power or providing more energy. for electronic devices and amenities on the vehicle etc.

In theory, the Diesel-Electric hybrid hybrid vehicle will be a more efficient model for fuel economy. However, this system has a complex structure and higher production costs than the Petrol-Electric form. Therefore, the Hybrid Diesel-Electric cars are not made popular by the Hybrid models using the current gasoline engines.

Common terms used on Hybrid cars

Here are the common terms when referring to Hybrid cars:

1. Electric motor (also known as electric motor): is a very important part, it plays many roles in a Hybrid vehicle such as supporting a gasoline engine when the car needs to accelerate quickly, acting like a generator, which helps to transfer energy from the gasoline engine and the system to regenerate brake energy into stored energy in the battery . In addition, the electric motor can also help start the gasoline engine immediately. in case of necessity. Some Hybrid cars have 2 (Porsche 918 Spyder), or maybe even 3 electric motors.
2. Automatic starter / stop (Automatic Star / Stop) : is the part equipped on most Hybrid models, it has the function of disconnecting the gasoline engine every time the car stops (for example, when the red light is stopped). and restart the engine every time the vehicle needs to move (eg when the green light is on) completely automatically, similar to the Idling Stop system on current Honda motorcycles that you know. . This function is very effective when the vehicle has to move a lot in the city, the reason is that the amount of fuel wasted when the engine must be idle is completely cut.
3. Regenerative Braking System : An important function of an electric motor is to generate electric current to recharge the car's battery pack. In addition to converting kinetic energy from a gasoline engine, the electric motor absorbs part of the inertial force every time the vehicle is decelerating or "dropping" and converting into electric current stored in the car's battery. Normally, gasoline or oil vehicles simply don't take advantage of this energy source and it is converted into another useless (even harmful) energy, which is the heat generated on braking system.
4. Electric drive function : Electric motor has another important function, that is to support gasoline engine in situations that require additional energy such as speeding, overtaking or climbing. For example . This allows the manufacturer to feel secure when installing a compact engine on the car, because it has a powerful assistant as an electric motor. In addition, in some cases, the electric motor also takes on the duty of the gasoline engine. For example, when traveling in a city with a low speed, the electric motor alone will "pull" the car, until the battery is nearly empty, the gasoline engine will be started to "get back" the task, at the same time. generate rechargeable energy for the battery pack. etc. So, both parts are exchanged tasks for each other flexibly and create great efficiency in fuel usage.

Above are some basic concepts and terms about Hybrid cars. Not all hybrids are fully equipped with these parts as well as have the same operation mechanism, all depending on the layout and placement of parts together (Layout).

Popular Hybrid platforms

1. Series Hybrid

A train locomotive uses the Series Hybrid platform.

This is the oldest Hybrid model, it has been applied on locomotives and ships appeared in the last century. In a car using the Hybrid Series platform, the electric motor plays a direct role in powering the wheel. Therefore, the requirement is that the electric motor must have great power, leading to its large size. Although it is powered by an electric motor, it is still considered a Hybrid vehicle because it still uses a gasoline engine to power the electric motor and act as a proper generator.

Today there are almost no Hybrid cars using this platform. However, this "old" platform is still being used in cars that use energy from Hydrogen fuel cells instead of using traditional gasoline engines to generate electricity.

2. Parallel Hybrid

BMW 7-Series ActiveHybrid is the typical Parallel Hybrid model.

This is the simplest and least expensive " Hybrid " model, so it is applied quite a lot on cars. In this platform, the gasoline engine only does a single task of providing power to the vehicle, the electric motor plays a supporting role for the gasoline engine whenever the car needs a strong acceleration, such as when it rises. speed, face or climb pass, for example .

If the remaining battery is large enough, the electric motor will replace the gasoline engine in situations where the vehicle is moving slowly and does not require much power. In this model, the Regenerative Braking system will play a key role in "charging" rather than an electric motor. Therefore, the speed of "recovery" of the battery assembly will be quite slow.

3. Series-Parallel Hybrid

Toyota Highlander Hybrid is a typical model for the Series-Parallel Hybrid platform.

As the name implies, this Hybrid model is a combination of the two forms mentioned above. It is the foundation with the most complex structure, and of course has the highest production cost and price. However, the value that it brings is very worthy, the Series-Parallel Hybrid cars always have the best fuel consumption, the longest time to use power from the battery and the maximum speed achieved. is the highest compared to other platforms.

In this model, the power generated by gasoline & electric motor engines is combined in a flexible way to complement each other and create the best dynamic effect for the car. The gasoline engine will play a key role in the car's power, the electric motor will support the gasoline engine when needed (Parallel Hybrid model). The power will be stored in the battery assembly (usually the Li-ion type) of the vehicle, it will be charged via the brake energy regeneration system (Regenerative Braking) and the kinetic energy generated by the gasoline engine (tissue Series Hybrid image).

Therefore, if operating alternately, the battery pack on the car is almost always fully charged. Each vehicle equipped with the Series-Parallel Hybrid platform has a steering mode management system and intelligent operating conditions. This system automatically recognizes the remaining driving conditions and battery levels to provide the most efficient operating mode (Series or Parallel) at a specific time.

Plug-in Hybrid vehicle

Plug-in Hybrid are simple "electric vehicles" , meaning that they use only the stored power in the battery to supply the electric motor and thereby create traction for the vehicle. The common feature of these vehicles is that they all have a very large Li-ion battery assembly, enough to provide a relatively long travel journey (several hundred kilometers back). This battery pack is charged via an external power source, so it has the name "Plug-in".

In short, you can easily imagine this: you have a Plug-in Hybrid car, if you want to use it, you must fully charge it at home, if it . "out of battery" in the middle of the road, you You have to stop at the charging station on the road to load more energy (this is in the developed countries only), if you find the battery is enough, you can return home without having to visit those charging stations. Because of that inconvenience, the Plug-in Hybrid car has not been used in a common way, although many governments have provided a lot of support for their people to use this kind of vehicle.

The famous Plug-in Hybrid cars that you may have heard of like Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and especially recently BMW i3 and especially the Tesla Model S - the fastest electric car model in Current time (maximum speed 210km / h, 0-100km / h acceleration in 4.2 seconds).

Chevrolet Volt.

Tesla model S - the fastest Plug-in Hybrid model at the moment.

Above is all the most basic and specific about Hybrid cars. Hopefully, through this article, you will have a clearer view of this "green" car segment and if possible, you can choose for yourself the most suitable car.