Not so long ago, hybrid drives were just a technical curiosity that could be found in the vehicles of ecologists. Today, however, it’s hard to find a car on the market that isn’t “electrified” in some way. It is worth noting, however, that not every hybrid is the same – its design affects not only fuel economy, but also comfort of use.
The first and most famous hybrid car that appeared on the roads in 1997 was Toyota Prius. The drive of this car was approached with reserve, because the combination of an electric motor with a traditional internal combustion engine was not previously available to the average consumer. However, the risk that the Japanese took paid off – in 2020 they sold their 15 millionth hybrid vehicle, and the brand had no problems meeting European emission standards.
The “classic” hybrid car is no longer a mystery to drivers or mechanics. The principle of its operation is very simple. When driving down to traffic lights or braking, the energy is stored in the batteries. These batteries are not particularly large (a Hyundai Tucson, for example, has a cell capacity of about 1.5 kWh), but allow you to travel several hundred meters (or even more if we are careful with the gas pedal) in silence. When the battery is “depleted”, the internal combustion engine will come into play. It may or may not replenish the energy in the cell.
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The most important thing is that the entire system is virtually maintenance-free for the driver, and hybrid systems are virtually trouble-free. The best proof of this may be the fact that such cars are increasingly chosen by taxi drivers. Already in 2019, the drivers of one of the largest chains most often chose two models with a hybrid drive, and abroad this trend has a long tradition.
With the development of hybrid systems and batteries, manufacturers began to wonder – can we make the car run on electricity for longer? They were the answer to that question plug-in hybrids that are charged from an external outlet, such as a regular outlet or charger. In this case, regenerating energy from braking alone turned out to be insufficient to recharge the batteries.
Plug-in hybrids have much larger cells, which have a capacity of about 10-15 kWh and have a real impact on the trunk capacity and weight of the car. However, they provide about 40 km of “clean” range, making them suitable for short distances. You can charge them in the garage (usually it takes a few hours) or use the so-called wallbox, i.e. a three-phase charger offered by the manufacturer, which requires separate assembly. However, you should check whether such a gadget will not overload your home electrical system too much.
To avoid penalties for too much carbon dioxide emissions, manufacturers decided to focus on every, even the smallest, aspect. In vehicles where it was not possible to install a classic hybrid system, a half-measure was decided. A mild hybrid means that the starter motor and alternator have been replaced by a small electric motor that can assist the combustion engine when pulling away from traffic lights or, for example, when overtaking. Such a solution, for example in Volvo engines, can provide up to 14 hp of additional power, although in the case of vehicles weighing up to 2 tons, this is almost imperceptible to the driver in everyday use.
In the face of the upcoming increasingly stringent exhaust gas purity standards, manufacturers are focusing on another, equally interesting solution. so-called A parallel hybrid is a drivetrain where the internal combustion engine does not drive the wheels directly, but is only responsible for supplying energy to the batteries. This is advantageous because the engine operates within a specific RPM range, allowing better use of its efficiency. Nissan reports that the e-power system fitted in the Qashqai reaches up to 50 percent. performance, which is a commendable result.
2023-08-05 07:30:00
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