To understand how does a hybrid car work One thing must be clear: conventional vehicles waste a lot of energy when moving. It doesn't matter how much an engine is tuned or how much the aerodynamics are perfected. A large part will always be wasted because the laws of physics are unforgiving.
To solve, or rather, to minimize this problem Hybrid cars were conceived. Especially hybrid electric vehicles. Because, although other cars are also moved by two sources of energy (see those that use gasoline and LPG), not everyone is able to recover that energy before it is lost. It's easy to realize that no burned fuel can be salvaged again. However, this does not happen if the energy used is electricity. This is where the magic of hybrid electric vehicles or HEVs lies. But there is more.
Components of a hybrid
Like any other classic car, a hybrid also has a heat engine. Most are gasoline, but there are also diesel such as those presented by Mercedes a few months ago. That's why it has a fuel tank (which is usually smaller), a gearbox and all the typical components, except in some cases the 12V battery.
electric motor(s)
For a hybrid car to earn its name, it must have another method of propelling itself. In this case it is an electric motor that complements the already mentioned thermal engine. It can be coupled to the gearbox, to the axles or directly to the wheels, as those created by Protean, which were introduced earlier this year.
There are many types, but permanent magnet synchronous motor It is the most used in hybrid cars. It has the advantage of being able to motor and generator function at the same time. That is, it can convert electricity into kinetic energy and that movement back into electricity. In this way they save having to install another component that would only add more weight to the car.
Battery
Another important part for a hybrid car to save fuel. The more capacity you have, more can the electric motor help the thermal. Its capacity is not very large in normal hybrids. Because they only require power to run at low speeds and support certain accelerations. For example, that of Current Toyota Prius has a usable capacity of 1,3 kWh and that of the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid or Kia Niro HEV 1,5 kWh.
This capacity increases if it is a plug-in hybrid. Since its objective extends to operating in electric mode at a higher speed and to have more autonomy. For example, the Mini Countryman has a capacity of 7,7 kWh and the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV reaches up to 13,8 kWh.
Converter
This element is essential for everything to work in a hybrid. Many electric motors run on alternating current, while the battery delivers DC. It is here that the investor does his work so that both components are compatible. It converts one current into another, and not just in one direction. It does this when the battery delivers electricity to the motor, but also when the motor generates electricity for the battery.
Other components of the car also use alternating current. That is why the inverter is also responsible for transforming the electricity necessary for them to work. Usually these are the air conditioner, multimedia equipment, etc.
Difference Between Alternating Current and Direct Current:
Alternating current (AC)
In it, the electrons move forward and backward through the wire with a certain frequency. In other words: it is a current that changes the direction of the flow of electrons and therefore does not have a defined polarity. First positive, then negative, and so on.
Direct Current (DC)
It is the most intuitive. The electrons move through the wire always in the same direction, like in a river. Said in a somewhat more technical way: it is a current whose value does not change within normal parameters. Hence, it is the most suitable for storage. It would not make sense to put electrons into a battery and then take them out, which is what would happen with alternating current.
Knowing this, one wonders: why not always use DC motors? Wouldn't the compatibility issue be eliminated? The causes are several, but it is mainly due to the fact that AC motors are cheaper to manufacture and that they work better for long periods of time. That is why they are used more frequently in industry.
energy recovery systems
Hybridization is a technology that many brands are working on continuously. That is why there are more and more ways to recover the energy of a car. Among all of them there are two that perfectly illustrate the efforts that have been made to achieve harness every watt before it's wasted:
regenerative braking
As we have mentioned before, an electric motor can work as a electricity generator. That is the property on which regenerative braking is based. When the driver brakes not only conventional brakes act located on the wheels, but the engine itself brakes the car "absorbing" that kinetic energy that would otherwise be lost.
There are hybrids of many brands, but the operation of this brake is usually always the same. When the driver brakes gently, the wheel brakes do not even come into action, it is the engine that slows the car with the help or not of an extra gear that increases the energy charged and brakes the car more. If the driver presses the brake harder, the wheel brakes also come into action as in any other car.
Exhaust heat recovery system
It is a system that collects the heat to be expelled through the exhaust, to keep the engine coolant always at the perfect temperature so that it works efficiently. What is nothing more than taking advantage of part of the energy of the fuel that is lost in the form of temperature.
This system solve a typical problem of cars that usually run for some time with heat engine off. If they did not have this system, the engine would have to cold work more than is desirable. With the consequent increase in consumption and greater wear of its parts.
Management system
Once you have all the physical components to use fuel and electricity, just need a computer that decides when to use one and when the other. Naturally, leaving control of two motors and two energies to the driver would be overly complicating his life.
Thanks to the multiple sensors, this system incorporated in hybrid cars knows when is the support of the electric motor necessary. The variables are many, but there are a number of situations where they are programmed to work, as long as there is enough charge in the battery. These are in the starts from standstill, in the moments that circulate to low speed and the accelerations. Except in sports cars, its objective will always be saving, so if we accelerate it will not seek to give more power, but that the heat engine works less.
New technologies to reduce consumption
The more information the computer has, the better it will manage the energy it has. Some current systems are capable of integrate 3D browser data, to save more amount of electricity. For example, if on the way down a large mountain pass where most of the battery can be charged, the system will use up all the battery it has before reaching it.
In the same way, you can use that data about the journey to accumulate as much electricity as you can before you hit a big climb where you're going to need it. In both cases you will save more fuel than if you did not have this information. As prepares for what is to come.
Microhybridization VS. conventional hybrids
Do not confuse the micro hybrid cars with the hybrids described in this article. There are those that use 48v electrical systems and small batteries to help the combustion engine on some occasions. but these cars they do not have the ability to move with electricity alone and therefore cannot benefit from the ECO environmental label. A good example of this type of car is the Hyundai Tucson 2019 2.0 CRDi 48v which we tested a few weeks ago.