Do hybrid cars have to run on gasoline some % of the time to keep batteries charged?

Question

If so, what percentage is it on average. I am sure that it varies from car to car.

Answer 1

They run on gas 100% of the time.  You never plug them in.  

The savings comes from using the energy from braking to partly recharge the batteries.  

Also you only need a gasoling engine big enough to supply the average power needs of the vehicle, rather than the peak acceleration needs.  The extra power under accelleration comes from the batteries.

Plus, the gasoline engine never idles.  If the batteries are sufficiently charged, it just shuts off.

Answer 2

Yes.

Although the batteries are recharged whenever the brakes are applied and the car coasts downhill, that is not enough to keep them fully charged.  Thus, the gas engine kicks in to both help recharge the batteries and, if needed, to add power to the drive train (e.g., when accelerating or going up hill).

Answer 3

Duh.

Answer 4

Can't tell you the percentage, sorry.  

But I can tell you that those hybrid batteries don't get charged by the sun.  Nor are they a perpetual motion machine.  They are charged by a running gasoline-powered engine.

The hybrids also try to recapture the energy from braking, but that is just to keep the batteries charged as long as possible.  

Without the gasoline engine in the hybrid, you would be walking to work.

Answer 5

Yes, that is why they are called "hybrid" cars.  They are part electric and part gasoline.  

If you look on a sticker of a new hybrid it will tell you what size gasoline engine it has as well as what type of electric power it has.  The gasoline engine is usually small and very fuel efficient.  

Generally the electric part is used below 30mph or so and then the gasoline engine switches on and takes over.  

The batteries are actually recharged by applying the brakes and also by the gasoline engine.  The electric motor is generally better around town driving and the gasoline part is generally better for highway trips.

Answer 6

The only hybrids that only run on gasoline some of the time are called plug-in-hybrids.  They will be for sale next year as 2009 models.

The current hybrids get better gas mileage, but do use gas all the time, except when idling, coasting, and braking.  

The batteries are now sometimes warrantied for 10 years.  Because they program the gas engine to come on more often, the batteries never get deep cycle discharged and last a lot longer thqan you would expect.

I hope that answers your question.

Answer 7

Hybrid cars just get better gas milage. You're thinking of Electric cars. But when you think about it, how much money are you really saving with a hybrid car? They get LESS than twice as many miles to a gallon as regular cars, and with hybrid you have to spend about $2500 every 4 years on a new battery. You do the math

Answer 8

Well, sure, unless you can plug it in somewhere.

But the % isn't really relevent. It will vary depending on if you are driving or not, if you have any leaks or shorts, and if you're using accessories.

Answer 9

Yes. They run on the gas engine most of the time. They are made with just enough battery capacity to "smooth out" the load on the engine. The idea is that a gas engine runs most efficiently at one speed. That is why regular cars need a transmission to change gears all the time as the speed of the car varies. With the hybrid, the engine always runs at exactly the one most efficient speed to run a generator to charge the batteries. When the batteries are full, the engine shuts down. But the battery capacity is small because batteries are expensive and heavy. You only need enough battery capacity to make sure you don't run out of power climbing a long hill or something like that which requires more power than the engine can produce.

A regular car has an engine that is much bigger then needed, on average, so it has enough power to accelerate up to speed and enough power to climb a hill. Most of the time it is just using a small fraction of its rated power. In a hybrid they make the engine smaller, with just slightly more power than is needed on average. During low speed driving or slowing down or waiting at a light or in traffic, the engine still runs at full speed, at maximum power, and the energy is stored up in batteries for later use. When accelerating or climbing a hill, the batteries supply extra power to help the gas engine. If the batteries are full and the car does not need the full power of the engine, it shuts down and drains the batteries a little, so that it can start up at full power later and recharge the batteries without wasting any power.