CONTENTS

• Concept of Hybrid Technology

• Components and layout of Hybrid vehicles
• Types of Hybrid Vehicles and their
characteristics
• Advantages of Hybrid vehicles over
conventional ones and the road ahead
• Need for Hybrid technology
 What’s In It For Me ?

• Our future depends on our ability to adapt

to alternative means of fuel for energy

• We as Engineers, have the responsibility

to find out the best alternatives to harness
renewable & eco-friendly energy sources.
 Brief History of Hybrid Vehicles
1839 Robert Anderson of Aberdeen, Scotland built the
first electric vehicle.
1886 An electric-powered taxicab, using a battery with
28 cells and a small electric motor, was
introduced in England.
1888 Immisch & Company built a four-passenger
carriage, powered by a one-horsepower motor
and 24-cell battery.
1898 Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, built a hybrid, using an
internal combustion engine to spin a generator
that provided power to electric motors located in
the wheel hubs.
1900 A Belgian carmaker, Pieper, introduced
Belgium’s first Hybrid, in which a small petrol
engine was mated to an electric motor under the
seat. When the car was "cruising," its electric
motor was in effect a generator, recharging the
batteries. But when the car was climbing a grade,
the electric motor, mounted coaxially with the gas
engine, gave it a boost.
1969 The GM 512, a very lightweight experimental
hybrid car, ran entirely on electric power up to 10
miles per hour. From 10 to 13 miles per hour, it
ran on a combination of batteries and its two-
cylinder gas engine. Above thirteen miles per
hour, the GM 512 ran on gasoline. It could only
reach 40 miles per hour.
1970s With the Arab oil embargo of 1973, the price of
gasoline soared, creating new interest in electric
vehicles. A hybrid known as the “VW Taxi” produced by
Volkswagen in Wolfsburg, West Germany used a
parallel hybrid configuration allowing flexible switching
between the gasoline engine and electric motor.
1989 Audi unveiled the first generation of the Audi Duo
experimental vehicle. The car had a 12.6 horsepower
electric engine, which drove the rear wheels instead of a
propeller shaft. A nickel-cadmium battery supplied the
energy. The front-wheel drive was powered by a 2.3-litre
five-cylinder engine with an output of 136 horsepower.
1997 The Toyota Prius was introduced to the Japanese
market, two years before its original launch date. First-
year sales were nearly 18,000.
1997 Audi became the first manufacturer in Europe to take a
hybrid vehicle into volume production: the Audi duo
based on the A4 Avant. The vehicle was powered by a
90 horsepower 1.9-litre TDI in conjunction with a 29
horsepower electric motor. Both power sources drove
the front wheels.
1999 Honda released the two-door Insight, the first hybrid car
to hit the mass market in the United States. The Insight
produced mileages of 61 mpg city and 70 mpg highway.
2004 The Toyota Prius II won 2004 Car of the Year Awards
from Motor Trend Magazine and the North American
Auto Show. In September, Ford released the Escape
Hybrid, the first American hybrid and the first SUV
hybrid.
Layout of a typical Petrol Car
Layout of a typical Electric Car
 What is a Hybrid Vehicle ?

• “Hybrid” means FUSION of two or more

entities

• Hybrid cars comprise of two or more

technologies, that assist in propulsion

• Most commonly used Hybrid cars are

Petrol-Electric Hybrids
 Basic components of a Hybrid car

• Petrol engine - Smaller, efficient and less emissive

• Fuel tank - Similar to conventional fuel tanks

• Electric motor - Very sophisticated. Can act as both

motor and generator

• Generator - Mostly used in Series Hybrid Vehicles

 Basic components of a Hybrid car
• Batteries - Large and heavy, deep cycle batteries.
Nickel-Metal-hydride batteries connected in series

• Computer Control Systems - Controller Area

Network allow embedded controllers to communicate with
electric motor controller, engine controller, battery
management system, brake system controller,
transmission controller, electrical grid controller, etc

• Transmission - Conventional transmission and

Continuously Variable Transmission used. Power split
devices also used with the above methods

• Capacitors - Quickly store and release large amounts of

power
 Basic Classification of Hybrid Cars

Series Hybrid Layout Parallel Hybrid Layout

 Characteristics of a Series Hybrid
Car
• The engine turns a generator and the
generator can either charge the batteries
or power an electric motor that drives the
transmission
• The engine should be running at all times
• The batteries are continuously charged,
depending upon their level of remaining
charge
 Characteristics of a Parallel
Hybrid Car
• Both, the engine and the electric motor
can propel the vehicle at the same time or
independently
• The petrol engine can be switched off
when below optimum power band
• The batteries are charged only during
braking or when petrol engine is propelling
the vehicle
 Distinctive features of Hybrid vehicles

• Start / Stop engine: The engine can be used only when

the speed of the vehicle enters the optimum power range
• Regenerative Braking: Part of the deceleration of the
vehicle provided by the generator which charges the
batteries or Ultra-capacitors
• Aerodynamics: Use of advanced aerodynamic shapes
that can reduce drag
• Low roll-resistance tires: Use of stiffer and higher
pressure inflated tires
• Light weight materials: Use of Composite materials like
carbon fiber or lightweight metals like aluminum and
magnesium, reduces body weight
 Honda Insight
• The Honda Insight is a simplified parallel hybrid. It
consists of an entirely new petrol-electric drive system
called Integrated Motor Assist
• The Insight's IMA system comprises of the lean-burn
combustion – low emission engines, variable valve
timing, high-efficiency electric motors, regenerative
braking, nickel-metal hydride battery technology and
microprocessor control
• Electric motor mounted between the engine and
transmission to act as a starter motor, engine balancer,
and assist traction motor
• Requires the engine to be running at all times since the
battery cannot propel the vehicle alone
 Toyota Prius
• Parallel hybrid power-train, called the Toyota Hybrid
System (THS) used.
• Uses a 1500 cc, 76 BHp @ 5000 rpm engine, which
propels only at optimum power range.
• Uses 67 Hp @ 1200-1540 rpm electric motor.
• Uses a unique power split mechanism which
incorporates the advantages of the Series and Parallel
Hybrid technologies.
• The power split mechanism is a planetary gear set that
also acts as a Continuously Variable Transmission unit.
 Ford Escape – The ultimate Green SUV
• The Escape Hybrid is an SUV that gets up to 36 miles per
gallon.
• The electric motor, starts the petrol engine. The car then
performs a series of checks to determine if it can switch to
electric-only operation: It checks to see if the batteries are
charged and if the operating temperatures are okay. If
everything checks out, the engine will then shut off, leaving the
car running under electric-only power. This process only takes
a second or two.
• The car runs on electric-only while you're at a stoplight or
waiting in line at the drive-thru.
• At highway cruising speeds 80 to 110 kmph, the petrol engine
does most of the work. It's most efficient at this speed range.
When a speed boost is called for, the electric motor kicks in
and adds its horsepower to that of the gasoline engine.
 Why do we need Hybrids?

• Increase efficiency of power sources using

fossil fuels
• Reduce emissions and pollution
• Long term Goal – Use of regenerative,
eco-friendly, sustainable source of power
• Hybrid Technology is just a step in the
right direction
Queries?