It’s Not Too Late

Mounting fears of dependence on foreign oil and concern about air pollution are causing some Americans to examine their love affair with cars. According to WTRG Economics (a group that specializes in analysis, planning, forecast, and data services for energy producers and consumer) crude oil trade for July 25, 2005 closed at $59.20 per barrel. For the last two years, the Organization of Petroleum Producing Countries’ (OPEC) official target price has been $25. The price of oil is skyrocketing and one can only conclude that oil prices are not going to get cheaper any time soon. Pair this concern about expensive oil with concern about environmental and health damage caused by standard vehicles, and a very ugly picture is painted. How do Americans survive this love affair with cars intact and satisfied? The answer is hybrids.

Today's hybrids are no longer the wimpy, substandard vehicles we once thought they were. They signify the largest shift in automotive machinery since the invention of the gasoline engine. Although the first-generation of hybrids were underpowered and ugly, impressive new designs are hitting showrooms across America. By joining an electric motor with a conventional power train, hybrids save money at the gas pump, lessen consumption of foreign oil, and reduce tailpipe emissions.

Many hybrid variations have been attempted in the past, with no mass market appeal. So far, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are the only design to provide consumers the performance they seek along with decreased emissions and improved fuel economy, all at a reasonable cost. HEVs have been created by mixing and matching technologies, and variations depend on whether a series drive train, parallel drive train, or combination of both is being used. Manufacturers choose a specific hybrid design based on superior performance, reliability, and future potential when compared to the others (Union of Concerned Scientists 12).

.In a series drive train system, the gasoline engine turns a generator, and the generator can either charge the batteries or power an electric motor that drives the transmission (The Union of Concerned Scientists 12). This results in the gasoline engine never directly powering the vehicle. In a parallel drive train system, the battery and engine are both connected to the transmission; therefore either the battery via the electric motor, or the engine directly, or a combination of both, can provide power to the engine (The Union of Concerned Scientists 12). This allows both the electric motor and the gas engine to provide propulsion power. Some examples of a parallel hybrid are the Honda Insight and the Honda Civic. A series/parallel drive train combines the benefits of both the parallel drive train and the series drive train to create an engine that can drive the wheels directly or disconnect from the transmission and operate the wheels electrically (The Union of Concerned Scientists 12). Depending on the situation, the engine can provide propulsion to the wheels or energy to the battery. The Toyota Prius is an example of this type of hybrid. Because hybrid vehicles combine electric motors and rechargeable batteries with a conventional gasoline engine, gasoline consumption is greatly decreased. But exactly how does this work?

First of all, one of the principal ways a hybrid vehicle will save fuel is to shut down the gas engine when the car coasts or comes to a stop. It immediately restarts once the driver hits the accelerator, whether for a passing maneuver or for some other reason. This ensures the vehicle is not using fuel when the engine is not needed to drive the vehicle. In the case of the Toyota Prius, the dual-system design allows the engine to always operate at maximum efficiency. For highway driving, when speeds are usually higher, the gas engine kicks in as the car accelerates. Conversely, for stop and go city driving, the electric motor drives the car at low speeds.

Hybrid cars have other energy saving features such as regenerative braking, motor assist, and engine-off drive mode. With regenerative braking, the brakes will capture the energy created by decelerating and store it in the battery for later use. This feature helps keep the battery charged without having to plug in the vehicle. Motor assist enables the electric motor to provide extra power from the battery when a more intensive activity is being performed by the internal combustion engine. Therefore, when the car is accelerating for example, the vehicle uses a smaller, more energy-efficient engine without a decrease in performance. The engine-off drive mode propels the vehicle with the electric motor at low speeds. No fuel is being used and no emissions are being released. HEVs commonly are aero-dynamically designed to reduce drag and weigh less than their counterparts, both of which also ensure that gas will be conserved.

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