What Do Hybrid Cars Run On?
With all the talk about alternative cars and alternative fuels, sometimes the information about which fuel powers what car runs together. Hybrid cars are the simplest to understand, because they are the closest to conventional cars: both run on standard fuels and electricity. The hybrid car is different only in the balance of electricity versus fuel.
-
Identification
-
A hybrid is any vehicle that uses two or more sources of power for propulsion. In cars, this most often refers to a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), which relies on both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. This is done in an effort to achieve greater fuel efficiency.
Types
-
The Petroleum Fuel Engine Assistance model of hybrid relies mainly on its internal combustion engine, with the electric motor being capable of only low speeds. Typically, this model will use the electric motor when idling, and then use it to accelerate up to about 20 or 25 mph. Then, the gasoline-powered engine will be automatically started and take over for providing propulsive power. The Toyota Prius is an example of this type of hybrid.
The Electrical Engine Assistance model of hybrid uses a lower power internal combustion engine, geared around maximum fuel efficiency. In order to achieve extra power for things like climbing hills or hard acceleration, the car has an electric motor which kicks in to provide the added power. Honda hybrids work on this principle. -
Considerations
-
Both types of vehicles run on the same fuel as a conventional car. Most use regular gasoline, although diesel hybrids are now making an appearance in the European market. The difference is that where a conventional car only uses electricity to start the motor, a hybrid uses it either to run the motor during periods of low power demand, or to assist it during periods of high power demand. Ergo, they are very similar to regular cars, except that they make much greater use of battery power.
Function
-
Unlike conventional car batteries, which are of a lead acid design, most hybrids use either a nickel or lithium ion battery. This is because of the differing needs of the two car designs. A conventional car just needs a sharp jolt of electricity to start the car, which a lead acid battery can provide at minimal expense. A hybrid needs a large amount of sustained electricity (how much depends on the type of hybrid), requiring a substantially larger and more robust battery design.
Potential
-
As previously implied, most hybrids in production and all models in the US use regular unleaded gasoline. Two French carmakers, Peugeot and Citroen, have diesel hybrids in production. As these car companies do not export to the United States, the entry of diesel hybrids into that market is not expected in the near future. The only foreign carmaker with a widespread presence in the American car market that is even contemplating making a diesel hybrid is Volkswagen, and that is with a car model (the Polo) that is not sold there. Chevrolet was planning to introduce a diesel version of the Volt in 2010, but their late 2008 financial crisis has cast a cloud over that plan.
-
