Hybrid Electric Vehicles

September 4th, 2009

More hybrid electric vehicles should hit the automobile market in the near future as more and more hybrid electric vehicles are being manufactured and offered by different auto manufacturers. The increase in production of hybrid electric vehicles are due to their increasing popularity and also because hybrid electric vehicles have become better known and are increasingly sought after by car buyers. Hybrid electric vehicles are known as fuel efficient and zero emission cars.

What are hybrid electric vehicles?

A basic hybrid electric vehicle is an efficient vehicle that uses a small motor as well as an electric engine to generate enough energy to drive the car forward. Being free of wasteful and harmful emissions these hybrid electric vehicles can contribute greatly to keeping the environment clean.

The mechanics of hybrid electric vehicles

Typical hybrid electric vehicles merge the traditional internal combustion engine with the battery and electric motor of an electric vehicle so as to:

not have any emissions,

generate adequate power, and

go for distances that are far enough to warrant their usage and also

provides convenient fueling, which means not having to recharge the batteries.

A hybrid electric vehicle is most suited for personal as well as fleet transportation.

Where do hybrid electric vehicles get their power from?

The hybrid electric vehicle gets its power from two different energy sources, namely an energy conversion unit as well as an energy storage device. The most common forms of energy conversion units are the combustion engine or the fuel cell while the common energy storage devices include batteries or ultra capacitors. Powering the energy conversion unit may be through gasoline, methanol, compressed natural gas, hydrogen or any other alternative fuel. Conventional vehicles burn 2 to 3 times more fuel than the hybrid electric vehicle.

Hybrid Electric Cars