Hybrid Cars

Custom Search

Home

Financial Planning

Leasing / Buying a Car

Hybrid Cars

With the cost of gasoline hovering around the $4.00 per gallon mark, many of us are spending $50 or more each time we fill up our cars at the gasoline station. Just as fuel economy starts to become more worrisome for many consumers, we have some new technologies hitting the highways of America with a promise to lower those monthly gasoline bills: hybrid cars.

What is a Hybrid Vehicle?

On the one hand our highways are full of cars that run on gasoline. On the other hand we have fuel cell cars and other electric vehicles that are slowly moving from the research labs to the automobile manufacturer's production lines. In between we have a hybrid car; a vehicle that offers consumers a compromise between these two ends of the spectrum.

Additional Resources

One of the important features of a hybrid vehicle is that it does not require any shift in infrastructure or normal operating procedure. That is, hybrids meet the basic requirements that we've come to expect when buying a new car:

You can drive the car 300 miles or more before refueling is required.
You can refuel the car quickly and conveniently. That is, a widespread refueling infrastructure exists.
The car performs like other cars on the road today in terms of safety, handling, and acceleration.

Right now, fuel cell cars do not meet any of these three criteria completely. However, hybrid cars do, and to understand why, you need to know the theory behind hybrid cars, as well as the technologies used in these cars, SUVs, and trucks.

Hybrid Vehicle Theory

The theory behind a hybrid car is simple: overcome the limitations of today's electric cars by leveraging the power of gasoline driven engines. In fact, hybrid technology has been around for years, and individuals that are familiar with the workings of today's diesel powered locomotives understand this point. Hybrids use a traditional fuel, such as gasoline, to produce electricity that drives an electric motor.

Putting together a hybrid car is a somewhat complex engineering feat, which utilizes the following closely-integrated vehicle components:

Gasoline Engines

The power plant of a hybrid remains the internal combustion gasoline engine. To achieve some of the engineering goals of these vehicles, the engines utilize advanced fuel efficient technologies to both lower emissions and increase the car's fuel economy.

Fuel Tank

The batteries found in today's electric vehicles are just not able to match the efficiency of gasoline in terms of energy stored per pound. That is, you can store a lot more energy in gasoline compared to batteries on a pound for pound basis. That's just one of the reasons hybrid cars still depend on gasoline and traditional fuel tanks.

Electric Motor / Generator

The electric motor on a hybrid car is sophisticated, and can work in one of two ways, parallel or series, which we will describe in detail later on. Essentially, the electric motor(s) drive the wheels of the car, and the motor can act as a generator that captures energy when slowing a car.

Batteries

Right now, batteries in a hybrid car are used to store supplemental energy that can be used to drive the electric motor. For example, the supplemental energy stored in batteries could be used to move the vehicle up a steep hill or incline. Energy can be stored to the batteries as well as drawn from them as the car moves along the roadway.

Electric Motor Vehicle Technologies

As mentioned, hybrid electric vehicles, or HEVs, produced today depend on both electric motors and internal combustion engines. Hybrid cars use energy stored in a battery to move an electric motor, which then moves a car in one of two ways:

Parallel Hybrid Motor Design - with the parallel design, the internal combustion engine and the electric motor are connected directly to the vehicle's wheels. The internal combustion engine is used for highway driving while the electric motors add power during periods of high demand such as acceleration.
Series Hybrid Motor Design - with the series design, the engine is connected to a generator that produces electricity, which is used to drive the electric motor powering the wheels of the car. With all wheel drive (AWD) vehicles, such as the Toyota Highlander SUV, two electric motors power the vehicle.

Of course car manufacturers can also use combinations of the above two designs to achieve even greater savings.

New Hybrid Cars, Trucks and SUVs

New hybrids on the road today fall into the three major categories of non-commercial vehicles: cars, trucks, and SUVs. Listed below are hybrids (2011 / 2012) you'll find on the road today, grouped by these categories:

Light Duty Hybrid Cars

Toyota Prius: 4 Cylinder, 1.8 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 51 MPG City, 48 Highway.
Lexus CT 200h: 4 Cylinder, 1.8 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 43 MPG City, 40 Highway.
Mercury Milan Hybrid FWD: 4 Cylinder, 2.5 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 41 MPG City, 36 Highway.
Lincoln MKZ Hybrid FWD: 4 Cylinder, 2.5 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 41 MPG City, 36 Highway.
Ford Fusion Hybrid FWD: 4 Cylinder, 2.5 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 41 MPG City, 36 Highway.
Honda Civic Hybrid: 4 Cylinder, 1.3 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 40 MPG City, 43 Highway.
Honda Insight 4 Cylinder, 1.3 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 40 MPG City, 43 Highway.
Honda Insight: 4 Cylinder, 1.3 Liter, Automatic (AV-S7), 40 MPG City, 43 Highway.
Hyundai Sonata Hybrid: 4 Cylinder, 2.4 Liter, Automatic Transmission 6-spd, 35 MPG City, 40 Highway.
Honda CR-Z: 4 Cylinder, 1.5 Liter, Automatic (AV-S7), 35 MPG City, 39 Highway.
Lexus HS 250h: 4 Cylinder, 2.4 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 35 MPG City, 34 Highway.
Nissan Altima Hybrid: 4 Cylinder, 2.5 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), MPG City, 33 Highway.
Toyota Camry Hybrid: 4 Cylinder, 2.4 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 31 MPG City, 35 Highway.
Lexus GS 450h: 6 Cylinder, 3.5 Liter, Automatic (AV-S6), SIDI, 22 MPG City, 25 Highway.
Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid 4matic: 6 Cylinder, 3.5 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 20 MPG City, 24 Highway.
Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid: 6 Cylinder, 3.0 Liter, Automatic (A8), SIDI, 20 MPG City, 24 Highway.
Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid: 6 Cylinder, 3.0 Liter, Automatic Transmission (S8), SIDI, 20 MPG City, 24 Highway.
Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid: 6 Cylinder, 3.5 Liter, Automatic Transmission 7-spd, 19 MPG City, 25 Highway.
Lexus LS 600h L: 8 Cylinder, 5.0 Liter, Automatic (AV-S8), SIDI, 19 MPG City, 23 Highway.
BMW ActiveHybrid 7i: 8 Cylinder, 4.4 Liter, Automatic Transmission (S8), SIDI, 17 MPG City, 24 Highway.
BMW ActiveHybrid 7Li: 8 Cylinder, 4.4 Liter, Automatic Transmission (S8), SIDI, 17 MPG City, 24 Highway.

Hybrid SUVs

Ford Escape Hybrid FWD: 4 Cylinder, 2.5 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 34 MPG City, 31 Highway.
Mazda Tribute Hybrid: 2WD 4 Cylinder, 2.5 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 34 MPG City, 31 Highway.
Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD: 4 Cylinder, 2.5 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 34 MPG City, 31 Highway.
Lexus RX 450h 6 Cylinder, 3.5 Liter, Automatic (AV-S6),32 MPG City, 28 Highway.
Honda CR-Z: 4 Cylinder, 1.5 Liter, Manual 6-spd, 31 MPG City, 37 Highway.
Lexus RX 450h AWD: 6 Cylinder, 3.5 Liter, Automatic (AV-S6), 30 MPG City, 28 Highway.
Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD: 4 Cylinder, 2.5 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 30 MPG City, 27 Highway.
Mazda Tribute Hybrid 4WD: 4 Cylinder, 2.5 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 30 MPG City, 27 Highway.
Mercury Mariner Hybrid 4WD: 4 Cylinder, 2.5 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 30 MPG City, 27 Highway.
Toyota Highlander Hybrid 4WD: 6 Cylinder, 3.5 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 28 MPG City, 28 Highway.
Cadillac Escalade Hybrid 2WD: 8 Cylinder, 6.0 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 20 MPG City, 23 Highway.
Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid 2WD: 8 Cylinder, 6.0 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 20 MPG City, 23 Highway.
GMC Yukon 1500 Hybrid 2WD: 8 Cylinder, 6.0 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 20 MPG City, 23 Highway.
Cadillac Escalade Hybrid 4WD: 8 Cylinder, 6.0 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 20 MPG City, 23 Highway.
Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid 4WD: 8 Cylinder, 6.0 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 20 MPG City, 23 Highway.
GMC Yukon 1500 Hybrid 4WD: 8 Cylinder, 6.0 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 20 MPG City, 23 Highway.
GMC Yukon Denali 1500 Hybrid 4WD: 8 Cylinder, 6.0 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 20 MPG City, 23 Highway.
BMW ActiveHybrid X6: 8 Cylinder, 4.4 Liter, Automatic Transmission (S7), SIDI, 17 MPG City, 19 Highway.

Hybrid Trucks

Chevrolet Silverado 15 Hybrid: 2WD 8 Cylinder, 6.0 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 20 MPG City, 23 Highway.
GMC Sierra 15 Hybrid: 2WD 8 Cylinder, 6.0 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 20 MPG City, 23 Highway.
Chevrolet Silverado 15 Hybrid: 4WD 8 Cylinder, 6.0 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 20 MPG City, 23 Highway.
GMC Sierra 15 Hybrid 4WD: 8 Cylinder, 6.0 Liter, Automatic Transmission (Variable Gear Ratios), 20 MPG City, 23 Highway.

Driving Hybrid Vehicles

Since hybrid cars utilize advanced systems to generate and recapture energy, there are certain driving habits that can maximize the fuel economy of these vehicles. Some of these methods also apply to gasoline powered cars:

Slow Down - As speed increases, so does the wind drag on the car. The drag force at 70 miles per hour is roughly double that of a car traveling at 50 miles per hour. By keeping your speed down, you can increase your gas mileage.
Maintaining Speed - Engines run most efficiently when they are operated at a constant speed. Speeding up or slowing down decreases efficiency and fuel economy.
Stopping the Car - Hybrid cars are able to recapture energy either through magnetic braking systems and / or via the engine acting as a generator. The more time you give an electric hybrid to slow down, the greater the amount of energy recaptured by these systems.

About the Author - Hybrid Cars