Hybrid cars are type of hybrid electrical vehicle (HEV). These cars having both conventional propulsion system and rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) as well. Hybrid cars achieve well fuel economy in comparison conventional cars. The fuel source can be conventional engine or an electrical engine.
Most commonly electric batteries and internal combustion engine (ICE) are used in hybrid cars to power electric motors. Mass produced hybrid cars charge their batteries through kinetic energy, this energy can be captured by regenerative braking, and rest kind of hybrid cars use combustion engine for generating electricity, this electricity produced by spinning an electrical generator, most of the time they are motor generator. These electric generators either directly feed power or recharge the batteries or motors, those driving the car. Another kind of hybrid cars are battery electrical cars. In these type of cars batteries get charged by external source.
Fuel source and engine technology for hybrid cars
In most hybrid cars gasoline engines are used. The primary fuel for gasoline engines is petroleum derive gasoline, it can me mixed with ethanol generated from renewable energy sources, these sources can be hybrid electrical vehicle, modern internal combustion engine. In the future flexible fuel engines can also be used in present there is no plans are in place.
Hybrid cars reduced air pollution and also reduced emissions. It can be achieved from substantial use of low speed electric motors. The internal combustion engine in hybrid cars is more efficient, lighter and smaller than the conventional cars.
Toyota Prius, General motors Opel Astra Diesel Hybrid are the examples of hybrid cars.
