{"id":2850,"date":"2019-12-13T12:00:07","date_gmt":"2019-12-13T19:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.emanualonline.com\/blog\/?p=2850"},"modified":"2025-05-08T04:02:52","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T09:02:52","slug":"how-hybrid-cars-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.emanualonline.com\/blog\/how-hybrid-cars-work","title":{"rendered":"How Hybrid Cars Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since people started to care about fuel economy, car manufacturers implemented technologies to improve the efficiency of engines. Diesel engines were designed precisely for those reasons a century ago. However, today, they are deemed too dirty and pollutive to be a viable alternative to petrol engines. To make cars more fuel-efficient and more environmentally-friendly, car companies decided to get help from electricity \u2013 that\u2019s how hybrid vehicles were born.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s hybrid cars use an internal combustion engine (ICE), electric motor, and batteries to improve the economy and reduce emissions. That said, the hybrid car definition includes other technologies as well. Any powertrain that uses a combination of two different energy sources is considered a hybrid.<\/p>\n

\"toyota<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, most hybrid technologies that didn\u2019t use electricity to aid the engine are out of use today. Those include bi-fuel cars (petrol and ethanol), Petro-air hybrids (compressed air), and Petro-hydraulic hybrid (pressurized liquid). All these technologies are exciting from an engineering standpoint, but aren\u2019t that useful in the real world. That\u2019s why, when we refer to hybrid cars today, we are talking about petrol-electric hybrids. Electric cars<\/a>, on the other hand, aren’t hybrids – they use only electricity as propulsion. With all that said, are hybrid cars worth it? People around the world seem to agree \u2013 and hybrid car sales continue to rise. Toyota<\/a> and Volvo<\/a>, just to name a few, even plan to hybridize their whole lineup in the coming years. However, to fully understand the phenomenon that is hybrid cars, we need to see how they work and what are hybrid car\u2019s advantages, and disadvantages.<\/p>\n

How Do They Work?<\/h2>\n

In beginner’s terms, hybrid vehicles use electricity to aid the petrol engine during driving. Thanks to the added power and torque, the engine consumes less fuel, yet still provides ample acceleration. However, this doesn\u2019t answer the main question \u2013 where does the electricity come from?<\/p>\n

Every hybrid car today uses batteries to store electricity on board. Some older hybrids used Ni-Mh batteries, which are heavier and less energy-dense. Newer hybrids, on the other hand, use Li-ion cells that are lighter and have more abundant energy density. The batteries store electricity from the kinetic energy of the car. For example, when the driver is decelerating, the electric motor acts as a generator and charges the batteries. The engine can also charge the cells, while plug-in hybrids let the driver charge the batteries via an electric outlet.<\/p>\n

\"hybrid<\/p>\n

Using its internal charge, the battery delivers back the stored electricity to the electric motor. The motor-generator then connects to the gearbox or the final drive of the car, depending on the model. On most hybrids, the electric motor can move the vehicle by itself, without any help from the gasoline engine. On the so-called mild hybrids, the electric motor only aids the internal combustion engine.<\/p>\n

How do Hybrids Behave in the Real World?<\/h2>\n

On the road, hybrids behave differently depending on the conditions. During average acceleration, they mostly rely on the electric motor to save fuel. If the driver wants more power, the ICE works together with the electromotor. When the vehicle is cruising, the engine charges the battery and keeps the constant speed. This happens because the internal combustion engine works optimally at highway speeds\"\".<\/p>\n

However, if the vehicle moves downhill, the ICE might completely shut down. It\u2019s the same when the driver uses the brake pedal \u2013 the electromotor starts charging the batteries with the kinetic energy instead. Finally, when the car is stationary, if the batteries aren\u2019t empty, the petrol engine shuts down. Then, the stored electricity powers the auxiliary systems on some cars. If the cells are empty, the ICE powers the auxiliary systems and provides electricity to the battery.<\/p>\n

What are the Various Types?<\/h2>\n

We can classify hybrid cars on the market today in three different types. Let\u2019s see which are they and what makes them different.<\/p>\n