In Technically Challenged Terms – How a Hybrid Works

The cost of gas has gone up tremendously these past few years and filling up that SUV hurts your monthly bottom line, doesn’t it? In fact, you have probably thought about trading in your gas-guzzling vehicle for something a bit more economical. These days, the hybrid vehicle is the talk of the world with its claims to higher gas mileage and lower emissions, which help the environment. But do you know what a hybrid really is? How does it work? Is a hybrid best for your needs?

If you are technically challenged, understanding the hybrid can be a bit confusing. First of all, many people have seen or used a hybrid vehicle in the past without realizing it. For instance, a moped, the cute little motorized bike that many college kids use to tool around the campus, is a hybrid. It combines pedal power along with a gas engine. Many engines on trains are hybrids, using diesel fuel along with electricity. Even submarines and buses often use hybrid technology combining again diesel and electricity.

The long and short of it all is that hybrid technology is a cross between several sources of power to provide a vehicle its “get up and go.” Most hybrid cars you hear about today are an electric and gasoline combination. If you had a car totally powered by gasoline, this car would have a fuel tank, which holds the gas, which runs the engine. The engine then powers the transmission, which allows your wheels to turn so you can drive. A car run on total electricity would have batteries that produced the power to run the engine. Then, it would power the motor, which activates the transmission, thus moving the wheels.

A hybrid is the middle ground between these two options. Car manufacturers have achieved a relatively economical and energy efficient vehicle, which produces fewer emissions while boosting the mileage traveled between refueling. For many people, it’s a happy medium. For carmakers, they are continually finding new ways to streamline the process.

Everyone has an idea of all the parts in a totally gasoline-powered engine. But what are the extras you will find in the hybrid? You will have a gas engine just like other vehicles only the hybrid’s is smaller and more compact, using special technologies which help decrease pollution and maximize effectiveness. The hybrid’s fuel tank is comparable to its gas-powered versions. The electric motor however, is quite complicated. Not only does it act as a motor but it also acts as a generator. Basically, the motor can take energy as needed from the batteries to make the car move. But in the generator capacity, the car slows down and replenishes the “charge” to the batteries.

The generator on the hybrid vehicle resembles the electric motor, but it only works to make electrical power. The batteries store all the energy for the electric motor. This way, the electric motor in a hybrid not only pulls energy out of the batteries but also can charge them back up again. For the most part, the transmission in a gas-powered vehicle works in much the same way as a regular hybrid car.

Now that the general outlines of all the parts of a hybrid are laid out, did you know that the two sources of power – gas and electricity – could be configured in different ways? There are two basics ways – the parallel hybrid and the series hybrid. With the parallel version of the hybrid, both the electric motor and the engine powered by gas can turn the transmission simultaneously. Both components, while independent of one another, are both connected to the transmission. This allows power to be pulled from either source – gas or electric.

With a series hybrid vehicle, the gas tank fuels the generator, which in turn will either provide the power to the transmission so the car can drive or it can charge the batteries. In this type of series hybrid, the gasoline never actually powers the vehicle. For the most part, quite a few of the hybrids on the road today are parallel versions.

The hybrid vehicle is no longer the “Car of Tomorrow.” It’s the vehicle of the here and now and many people shopping for a new car or truck are rejoicing in the fact that they can possibly save a few dollars each gas trip with a new hybrid. Not only that, they can also play their part in helping the environment.

For more on how hybrids work including a diagram, visit fueleconomy.gov.