Hybrid Car

A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses an on-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a fuel based power source for vehicle propulsion. These vehicles use much less fuel than their counterparts and produce less emissions. Hybrid vehicles recharge their batteries by capturing kinetic energy through regenerative braking. Some hybrids use the combustion engine to generate electricity by spinning a generator to either recharge the battery or directly feed power to an electric motor that drives the vehicle. This takes place when cruising or in other situations where just light thrust is needed.

 lParallel hybrid 

In a parallel hybrid vehicle, the single electric motor and the internal combustion engine are installed such that they can power the vehicle either individually or together. In contrast to the power split configuration typically only one electric motor is installed. Most commonly the internal combustion engine, the electric motor and gear box are coupled by automatically controlled clutches. For electric driving the clutch between the internal combustion engine is open while the clutch to the gear box is engaged. While in combustion mode the engine and motor run at the same speed.

Series hybrid

In 1997 Toyota released the first series-hybrid bus sold in Japan.Meanwhile, GM will introduce the Chevy Volt EREV in 2010, aiming for an all-electric range of 40 miles, and a price tag of around $40,000. Supercapacitors combined with a lithium ion battery bank have been used by AFS Trinity in a converted Saturn Vue SUV vehicle. Using supercapacitors they claim up to 150 mpg in a series-hybrid arrangement

The setup has never proved to be suitable for production cars, however it is currently being revisited by several manufacturers.This arrangement is not new, being common in diesel-electric locomotives and ships. Ferdinand Porsche used this setup in the early 20th century in racing cars, effectively inventing the series-hybrid arrangement. Porsche named the arrangement "System Mixt". A wheel hub motor arrangement, with a motor in each of the two front wheels was used, setting speed records. This arrangement was sometimes referred to as an electric transmission, as the electric generator and driving motor replaced a mechanical transmission. The vehicle could not move unless the internal combustion engine was running.

BMW Hydrogen 7

For a nearly a generation, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles have been championed as the long-term solution to auto emissions. Vehicles like the Honda FCX Clarity and the Chevrolet Equinox have brought that dream a little bit closer to reality. But the BMW Hydrogen 7 steers through the hydrogen highway in a different direction—because it isn’t a fuel-cell vehicle at all.

Instead of using hydrogen to generate electricity in a fuel cell, the BMW Hydrogen 7— essentially a 7 Series sedan—burns hydrogen in its conventional V-12 engine. And it can switch to straight gasoline at the driver’s whim. Think of it as a dual-fuel gasoline-hydrogen hybrid. A full tank of liquid hydrogen will grant a vehicle range of more than 125 miles. Add a full tank of gasoline for another 300 miles of interstate driving. Put those two together and the BMW Hydrogen 7 can drive about 450 miles on a full supply of fuel.

Whether using an engine or fuel cell, burning hydrogen produces only water vapor at the tailpipe. But the Hydrogen 7 faces a number of obstacles that fuel-cell vehicles—already challenged enough—don’t have to consider.

Cool Idea, Very Cool

The BMW Hydrogen 7 runs on liquid hydrogen, not gaseous hydrogen. There are only about 50 hydrogen fueling stations in the United States, and just a handful of those dispense liquid hydrogen. Even if you happen to have access to liquid hydrogen station, you’ll still face a number of other drawbacks and obstacles. First, the BMW Hydrogen 7 has a zero-to-60 time of almost 10 seconds, which is about 45 percent slower than a conventional 7 Series with a V-12. Trunk space has been cut in half to make way for the bulky hydrogen fuel tank.

Speaking of the tank, it’s more accurate to think of it as a giant thermos, because the temperature of hydrogen must drop down to about 400 degrees below zero Fahrenheit before reaching a liquid state. If that chilly temperature is not maintained, then you face the problem known as “boil off,” a process which is difficult to avoid. When the car is not in use—for as little as one day—the liquid hydrogen begins boiling off. Half the fuel is gone in eight days time. Therefore, this car is actually more efficient on the road than in parked in a garage.

For now, the problems of the Hydrogen 7 belong to very short list of people. BMW has leased a limited number to high-profile individuals interested in touting the green attributes of hydrogen fuel.

Volvo C30 Electric

The core attribute of a Volvo vehicle is safety. The Swedish company is applying the same commitment to safety—based on slow, conservative and rigorous testing and development—to its electric cars and plug-in hybrids.

Why go slow when potential EV buyers are impatiently waiting? Because the prospect of a single well-publicized fatal accident in an electric car or plug-in hybrid could derail the entire movement toward vehicle electrification. All the major car companies producing plug-in cars are concerned about such an event—but in keeping with Volvo’s reputation for safety—the company is testing its plug-in prototypes perhaps harder and longer than anybody in the industry.

This conservative approach is apparent in the Volvo C30 EV, the all-electric four-seat concept sedan unveiled at the 2010 Detroit auto show. At first glance, the stats may seem unimpressive: a range of about 90 miles, acceleration from 0-60 mph in 11 seconds, a top speed of about 80 miles per hour, and a leisurely eight hours to recharge the 24 kilowatt-hour battery pack from 220-volt household outlet.

Volvo could push these numbers further or race to bring the car to market faster, but it isn’t. Instead, the company is slowing down and chilling out—and making sure that customers’ expectations are met. It's not promising rapid charging, game-changing driving range, or head-turning speed. And you won’t see a plug-in Volvo on the road this year, next year, or maybe not the year after. Instead, the company will build and test 50 electric C30s in Europe—to make sure they stand up against the test of time and in every possible crash scenario.

“In order to reduce the effects of a collision, the battery is well protected and separated from the car's crumple zones. The battery is also sturdily encapsulated. Steel beams and other parts of the structure around the battery are reinforced to help protect it from being affected in a collision. If the battery is damaged, resulting in gas leakage, there are special evacuation ducts that lead the gas out under the car. In the event of extreme heat, the occupants are shielded by the battery's encapsulation. At the very moment of impact, crash sensors linked to the battery send information about the collision to the car's computer, which automatically shuts off the power supply to prevent the risk of a short-circuit.”

Volvo Press Release

The C30 has 600 pounds of lithium ion batteries to package. Half of them will go in the space where the C30’s gas tank usually is placed (safely placed in front of the rear axle), and the other half are placed in the middle tunnel area. Those batteries don’t fit in a conventional C30. Moreover, some batteries can withstand being crushed and other can’t, while some batteries can be crushed safely from one angle but not another. Therefore, the lion’s share of Volvo’s work on electric cars and plug-in hybrids is focusing on completely new safer and aerodynamic platforms to accommodate the batteries and related electric technology.

As a result, the models currently being used by Volvo for testing plug-in cars—the C30 and the Volvo V70 plugin hybrid—are not likely to be the exact models emerging in European or US markets. But there’s every indication that Volvo is extremely serious about electric cars and plug-in hybrids, and they are on the way. Slowly and surely.

Toyota Sienna Hybrid

The Japanese carmakers have a big head start on hybrid technology. They made a serious commitment to hybrids in the early 1990s, and began releasing hybrid vehicles to Japanese consumers in 1997. The second hybrid launched to the Japanese market (after the Prius) was the Toyota Estima Hybrid Minivan. It launched in Japan in 2001, as the first mass-produced four-wheel drive hybrid. An early article about the Estima Hybrid mentioned a selling price of $27,000.

A larger version of the Estima is marketed in the U.S. and Europe as the Sienna. It’s likely that the Sienna Hybrid will be the first hybrid-power minivan on the American retail market, but Toyota has not announced a date.

American consumers have overwhelmingly stated that they would consider a hybrid powertrain option—if it came in the same size/segment car they currently drive. Minivan drivers are not going to give up their seven or eight passenger vehicles for compact hybrids. However, family-oriented minivan owners might flock to a fuel-efficient eco-friendly hybrid minivan.

The Japanese Toyota Sienna Hybrid Minivan's main features:

• The Japanese Estima Hybrid uses a 2.4 liter, four-cylinder engine. The U.S. Sienna hybrid system will likely be similar to the one being used in this year’s Highlander and Lexus Hybrid SUVs. In the SUVs, the gasoline engine, CVT transmission and electric motor combo will deliver up to 270 hp total for a speedy 0 – 60 acceleration in 8 seconds. The Estima may be a little slower.
• A four-wheel drive system dubbed “E-Four,” which regulates a rear-mounted, rear-wheel propelled electric motor and coordinates electric power distribution to all four wheels.
• ECB (Electronically Controlled Brake system) for efficient wheel-by-wheel brake control and optimum management of the vehicle’s regenerative brake system.
• 1,500 watts of auxiliary 100-volt power available via electrical sockets—enough to power hair-driers, laptops or microwave ovens.
• A highly aerodynamic body design, insulated roof, and an “intuitive” humidity-sensing air-conditioning system—all designed to help decrease fuel consumption.
• Fuel economy numbers targeted to around 40 mpg, and low emissions (the first minivan to meet stringent levels set by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment).

Byron Sigel, a Michigan man who lives in Tokyo and drives an Estima Hybrid minivan, calls it “The best car I’ve ever owned.” Sigel says the minivan “seats eight, gets great gas mileage, good acceleration, is comfortable and has good storage. It is also very reliable.”

Articles have also appeared about a Toyota Alphard Hybrid Minivan, announced in Japan in 2003. Using the conventional versions to compare, the Alphard is larger than the Estima and has more luxury features like larger "business class" seats, and automated doors and curtains that can be opened and closed by the remote control or the driver's panel.

Toyota Hybrid X

The smash hit second-generation Toyota Prius was released in late 2003. Believe it or not, that’s almost four years ago. In the car world, that means it’s time for a design refresh. For a number of months, there have been hints and rumors about the technology for the third-generation Prius, including the use of lithium batteries and some limited plug-in capacity. But for the market, the bigger question might be, “What will it look like?” The current Prius design tends to quickly separate Prius-haters from hybrid-huggers.

Toyota answered the question—in an obscure way—when the company unveiled the Toyota Hybrid X at the 2007 Geneva International Motor Show. The press release described the concept in grandiose terms: “It will create a new design language for hybrid models while also acting as a technology showcase for future hybrid cars.” This is purely a design exercise; no details about the hybrid system, fuel economy, or performance.

Squint past the design embellishments always used in concept vehicles—like the bumper to bumper see-through roof—and you get a glimmer of the shape of things to come for the Prius. Take a look at these images and let us know what you think?