How Do Hybrid Cars Work?
How do hybrid cars work? Hybrid vehicles use electric motor drive/assist, regenerative braking and automatic start/shutoff technologies to improve vehicle fuel economy. Hybrids combine the benefits of a gasoline, internal combustion engine with the benefits of a battery/electric motor from an electric vehicle to produce a more efficiently powered vehicle without having to constantly be plugged-in to an outlet like a traditional full-electric car.How Power is Stored and Used in a Hybrid Car
The electric power is stored in a battery and is generated from the gasoline engine and regenerative braking. Full hybrids can use the electric motor solely to power the vehicle for low-speed, low-acceleration driving, such as in stop-and-go traffic or for backing up. Also, the electric motor provides additional power to assist the engine in accelerating, passing, or hill climbing. Because there is this electric motor assist, a smaller, more efficient engine can be used in a hybrid car.
 |
Additional Hybrid Energy Savings
Besides being more efficient due to the combined use of the electric motor/gasoline engine for power, hybrid cars will automatically shut off the engine when you come to a stop and restart when you step on the accelerator again. This prevents wasted energy from idling.
For a complete explanation, go to FuelEconomy.gov at How Do Hybrid Vehicles Work. The above link will explain how a hybrid car works when starting, at low speeds, cruising, passing, braking and stopped.