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Technology of Hybrid Vehicles

The conventional gasoline engine provides appropriate power, meets emission and fuel economy standards, and provides a smooth, quiet, reliable and relatively inexpensive form of transportation (Hybrid, 2003). However, almost every such vehicle on the road has an engine much more powerful than it needs most of the time. A typical vehicle has a 200 horsepower engine, but only reaches that horsepower occasionally for quick passing maneuvers and climbing hills. Only 20 to 30 horsepower is needed to keep it running when it is up to running speed. Electrical vehicles run smoothly and quietly, with no environmentally harmful emissions, but so far no one has been able to design a suitable battery, so they have a very limited range. Recharging the battery takes much longer than refueling a gasoline-powered car. Also, as the battery is losing its charge, the electric car gradually slows down.

A hybrid vehicle solves both of these issues (Hybrid, 2003). It usually consists of a fossil fuel-burning engine combined with an electrical system consisting of a motor, a generator, and a battery. Individual models vary, but both systems work together to varying degrees, usually having the gasoline engine driving the electrical system, which in turn drives the vehicle. The most basic hybrid vehicle is the diesel-electric hybrid railroad locomotive, which has a large diesel engine which drives a generator, which in turn supplies power for an electric motor which drives the wheels (42). The diesel engine works at its most efficient speed, and the electric motor is used to control the speed of the train. The conventional road hybrid vehicle uses a relatively small gasoline engine which drives the wheels, the generator, or both. It also has an electric motor, which drives the wheels either alone or in concert with the gasoline engine. A battery supplies the electric motor, and a generator makes the electricity to recharge the battery. E...

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Technology of Hybrid Vehicles. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 06:11, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1702726.html