Hybrid cars use two power sources to push the car. The two power sources that are being used in hybrid cars are a gasoline engine and one or more electric motors. The gasoline engine feeds on petrol and the electric motor uses electricity, which is stored in batteries. There are two types of hybrid cars that are being produced currently. One is the fully hybrid car, which can run on either one of the two power sources or use both power sources simultaneously. The second hybrid is known as a mild hybrid and uses both, a petrol engine and an electric motor, to power the car. It is called a mild hybrid and cannot run on one power source only.
Ferdinand Porsche, as a young engineer, at the age of 27, invented the first petrol-electric hybrid car in 1899. He came up with the novel idea of using a petrol engine running at a constant speed to drive a dynamo, which in turn charged alternators. The alternators fed electricity to two electric motors on the front wheel hubs of the car. His idea was to get rid of the complex power train, required to drive a gasoline only vehicle.
In 1900 a Belgium car maker, Pieper, introduced a hybrid that had an electric motor fitted under the seats and a petrol engine. It used the petrol engine to charge the batteries and used both power sources to accelerate or climb hills.
Lohner Porsche produced a series of hybrid cars, based on the novel drive train of Ferdinand Porsche. The car used either the electric motors or the petrol engine to power the car, but did not use both the power sources simultaneously.
After these early hybrid cars were produced, the car market was taken over by gasoline cars and hybrid cars were no longer popular; hence, their production stopped.
It was in 1997 that Toyota of Japan launched their first fully hybrid car the Prius. Another well-known automaker of Japan, Honda, launched their mild hybrid the Insight in 1999. Luxury division of Toyota, Lexus, launched the RX400h and became the first luxury car maker to manufacture and sell hybrid cars.
Since then, other car makers have also started manufacturing hybrid cars, and today, there are a number of hybrid cars available in the market. Major European and recently American automakers have also announced launching their hybrid cars.
Car engineers felt that using electric power to assist a petrol powered vehicle was the only feasible option for hybrid cars. Nickel iron batteries can provide enough voltage to the electric motor to push the car at low speeds for over a mile. Plus, they do not need to be recharged from any external source like an electricity outlet. When an electric-petrol car is coasting, the power of the petrol engine is used to charge the batteries. Regenerative power from the braking of the car is also used to charge the batteries. The electric motor gives car makers the capability of installing smaller petrol engines, thus, saving on fuel consumption. As full hybrid cars use the electric power to drive the car at lower speeds, the emissions are reduced. Hybrid cars do cost more than conventional cars, but there are long term savings in hybrid cars.
Ferdinand Porsche, as a young engineer, at the age of 27, invented the first petrol-electric hybrid car in 1899. He came up with the novel idea of using a petrol engine running at a constant speed to drive a dynamo, which in turn charged alternators. The alternators fed electricity to two electric motors on the front wheel hubs of the car. His idea was to get rid of the complex power train, required to drive a gasoline only vehicle.
In 1900 a Belgium car maker, Pieper, introduced a hybrid that had an electric motor fitted under the seats and a petrol engine. It used the petrol engine to charge the batteries and used both power sources to accelerate or climb hills.
Lohner Porsche produced a series of hybrid cars, based on the novel drive train of Ferdinand Porsche. The car used either the electric motors or the petrol engine to power the car, but did not use both the power sources simultaneously.
After these early hybrid cars were produced, the car market was taken over by gasoline cars and hybrid cars were no longer popular; hence, their production stopped.
It was in 1997 that Toyota of Japan launched their first fully hybrid car the Prius. Another well-known automaker of Japan, Honda, launched their mild hybrid the Insight in 1999. Luxury division of Toyota, Lexus, launched the RX400h and became the first luxury car maker to manufacture and sell hybrid cars.
Since then, other car makers have also started manufacturing hybrid cars, and today, there are a number of hybrid cars available in the market. Major European and recently American automakers have also announced launching their hybrid cars.
Car engineers felt that using electric power to assist a petrol powered vehicle was the only feasible option for hybrid cars. Nickel iron batteries can provide enough voltage to the electric motor to push the car at low speeds for over a mile. Plus, they do not need to be recharged from any external source like an electricity outlet. When an electric-petrol car is coasting, the power of the petrol engine is used to charge the batteries. Regenerative power from the braking of the car is also used to charge the batteries. The electric motor gives car makers the capability of installing smaller petrol engines, thus, saving on fuel consumption. As full hybrid cars use the electric power to drive the car at lower speeds, the emissions are reduced. Hybrid cars do cost more than conventional cars, but there are long term savings in hybrid cars.
