Hybrid cars???

Question

i need info about hybrid cars for a project::: ie: charts, graphs, info about how it works etc.

plz dont tell me 2 do mi own homework thnx!!!

<333 molly

Answer 1

Why a hybrid car?  It still pollutes the air.  Why not do a project on the &quot;World&#039;s Cleanest Car&quot;  that runs on compressed air.

&quot;After fourteen years of research and development, Guy Negre has developed an engine that could become one of the biggest technological advances of this century. Its application to Compressed Air Technology(CAT) vehicles gives them significant economical and environmental advantages. With the incorporation of bi-energy (compressed air + fuel) the CAT Vehicles have increased their driving range to close to 2000 km with zero pollution in cities and considerably reduced pollution outside urban areas.

   The application of the MDI engine in other areas, outside the automotive sector, opens a multitude of possibilities in nautical fields, co-generation, auxiliary engines, electric generators groups, etc. Compressed air is a new viable form of power that allows the accumulation and transport of energy. MDI is very close to initiating the production of a series of engines and vehicles. The company is financed by the sale of manufacturing licenses and patents all over the world.&quot;

Answer 2

molly

First off there are many types of hybrid cars. I’ve converted cars to run on hydrogen, ethanol, methanol, biodiesel, Electricity, etc and currently run 2 on hydrogen and one on 100% electricity as well as my home hot water heater, home stove and home generator on hydrogen.

I’ve written several guides on the process that contain technical stats, info, pics, diagrams graphs etc. Can’t paste images here though so If you’d like more info you can contact me directly and let me know specifically what you need at [e-mail] or visit http://www.agua-luna.com/guides.html

I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others help the environment.

Dan Martin

Retired Boeing Engineer now living 100% Off-the-Grid with my family, using Alternative Energy &amp; loving every minute.

for more info visit agua-luna or email me at [e-mail]

Answer 3

I googled hybrid cars and found this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_car

Hope this helped.

Answer 4

A hybrid car is a car that is propelled by more than one energy source. Typically, when one is thinking of a hybrid car, it is usually a gasoline/electric hybrid, as that is what is currently available commercially. (There are diesel-electric concept cars (not in production), and there are diesel-electric locomotives, submarines, and heavy construction equipment...) Usually a dual-fuel vehicle, like a CNG-gasoline or LPG-gasoline vehicle isn&#039;t in the popular hybrid definition, but those are usually aftermarket-fitted anyways.

How a hybrid car works depends on the technology that a manufacturer decided to use to make it a hybrid. Not all hybrids are created equal.

As the lowest common denominator, hybrids usually have a larger electric motor (for starting the gasoline engine or for charging the hybrid battery), larger/additional hybrid battery pack to drive the electric motor, auto-stop (gasoline engine turns off at idle), regenerative braking (coasting or light braking will cause the motor to act as a generator, capturing some of that lost kinetic energy of wheel motion and storing it as electricity in the hybrid battery), improved fuel economy, and lower emissions.

More improved hybrid systems allow for tuning for higher performance (more power or acceleration), or for more fuel efficiency (usually through using a smaller engine, where the electric motors help out). On the more improved hybrid systems, you could see:

- ability to act as a standing generator to power equipment off-site

- additional peak power, by the electric motor assisting the gasoline engine as required (for acceleration or hill climbing, for example), similar to a turbo

- electric-only propulsion (short periods of the electric motors/hybrid battery alone powering the car, for low power requirements (such as coasting, driving on the level, low speeds)

- reduction in weight and ability to move accessories from belt-driven to electrically-driven (smaller wires needed)

The Ford/Mercury hybrid system and the Nissan hybrid system is fairly similar to the older Toyota THS system (seen on the 2001-2003 Prius). Toyota/Lexus hybrids are currently using the THS-II or HSD (Hybrid Synergy Drive) system. Honda is using their IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) hybrid system. GM&#039;s newer hybrids are using their BAS (belt-alternator system) or two-mode system, while their older &quot;hybrid&quot; pickups are pretty much the lowest common denominator listed above.

For general overviews:

http://www.hybridcenter.org/hybrid-cente...

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question26...

http://www.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car....

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/f*g/hybridtec...

Specific to manufacturers, how it works (and use a Flash-enabled web browser!):

Toyota hybrids in general:

http://www.hybridsynergydrive.com/en/qui...

http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/tech/environm...

http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/tech/environm...

Lexus hybrids in general:

http://www.hybridlexus.com/how/index.htm...

Ford Escape Hybrid:

http://www.fordvehicles.com/suvs/2008esc... (use the Hybrid Technology 01 button on bottom left)

Mercury Mariner Hybrid: http://www.mercuryvehicles.com/mariner/t...

Mazda Tribute Hybrid: http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayP...

Honda Civic Hybrid:  http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-hybri...

(I couldn&#039;t find anything substantial on the NissanUSA.com site for the Altima hybrid&#039;s system. GM only notes that they have &quot;hybrids&quot; here: http://www.gm.com/explore/fuel_economy/h... )

and for the Honda Insight (which in general also covers the Honda IMA seen in the HCH above and the Honda Accord Hybrid): http://www.insightcentral.net/encycloped...

http://www.insightcentral.net/encycloped...

There are no commercially-available plug-in hybrids on the market so far. (So you cannot plug them in, other than the same gas station pump that most other regular cars use.) Some hobbiests and aftermarket companies have been altering a few hybrids (Prius, Ford Escape Hybrid/Mercury Mariner Hybrid) to make them plug-in capable. Typically this requires adding additional hybrid batteries, besides the ability to charge off the mains.

For more information, check out http://www.calcars.org/vehicles.html

For cost reasons, unless you are a fleet owner or other high-mileage driver it probably will not be worth the cost of the PHEV conversion for you. (Conversion pricing is high due to startup costs and low volumes, besides the pricing of the needed additional battery packs.)

To note, converting to a PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) does not reduce the vehicle&#039;s range. It gives the owner the option to recharge the (newly added larger) hybrid battery pack at night (cheap electricity and off-peak electric load which would otherwise be lost). The vehicle would run for a certain distance (longer than stock) on the stored electric power alone, and when the battery pack is depleted to a certain point the vehicle reverts back to its original hybrid self and runs on a combination of the gasoline engine (which will also recharge the battery) and the electric motor. A PHEV would add a greater all-electric range to the existing hybrid, besides the ability (but not the requirement!) to plug it into an electric source.

Insurance is about the same as a regular car.

Maintenance is about the same as a regular car - use your favorite mechanic or DIY.

Same gasoline as a regular car...

Depending on model, many hybrids are holding high resale values (mainly the fuel-economy hybrids as opposed to the power hybrids).

Pros:

* Depending on where you live, tax incentives (income tax credit for US federal, some states or Canadian provinces offer income tax credits/deductions or sales tax reductions),or single-occupant HOV lane privilages (CA, VA, FL, NY), or reduced tolls (NY) or free parking...

* better HP and acceleration than a comparable car

* better (lower) emissions than a comparable car

* better fuel economy than a comparable car

* own a neat techy car

* long warranty (depending on model, the hybrid battery or system is warrantied in the US a minimum of 8 years/80,000 miles, up to the AT-PZEV models in CA-emission states out to 10 years/150,000 miles, and it is NOT pro-rated but a full coverage.)

* you do not plug it in (charges off of the gasoline engine and recapurted kinetic energy while braking)

Cons:

* slightly higher initial purchase price

* own a neat techy car (should you need unscheduled maintenance (break down), you&#039;re mainly stuck paying dealer rates)

* many ill-informed people stopping you and asking questions about your car, telling you untruths about your own car, or even telling you how stupid you were for buying it...

* you cannot plug it in

I&#039;ve never seen anyone do a cost-benefit analysis for a v4 vs v6 vs diesel engine, so why do one for a hybrid drivetrain? Most cost analysis articles neglect trade-in value which the Prius does very well in maintaining. (in some areas, used Prius are still selling for new prices for availability and rising gasoline prices!). Don&#039;t forget to include federal and any state tax incentives in your calculation (Consumer Reports forgot, and had to issue a retraction that hybrids are cheaper to own/operate than their gasoline cousins). Edmunds.com still doesn&#039;t take into account the true depreciation value (as seen by manually looking for a Prius trade-in value) when calculating their TCO, but they still say that hybrids will pay for themselves even when using their lower than actual trade-in amounts:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/08/22/bc.a...

Hybrids do cost less in the long term than their conventional counterparts. (Intellichoice used a 5 year ownership comparison in 2006) See: http://www.intellichoice.com/press/Hybri... and http://www.intellichoice.com/carBuying10...

While Consumer Reports in 2006 only found the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid would pay off within the same 5 year frame. The Honda Accord Hybrid, the Ford Escape Hybrid, the Lexus RX400h, and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid were also studied.

(I&#039;ll note that there was a mathematical error in the initial publication of Consumer Reports&#039; hybrid vehicle cost analysis, which a retraction was published later... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11637968/ )

Since this publication, many more hybrid models have become available, so I can&#039;t use this to say about hybrids &quot;in general.&quot;

The problem is that not all hybrids are created equal. There are different hybrid technologies, depending on manufacturer. Even among the same manufacturer, you can find one model tuned for performance (power and acceleration) with only a slight fuel efficiency improvement, compared to another for fuel efficiency and emissions. (See the Honda Accord Hybrid vs. Honda Civic Hybrid, or the Lexus models compared to their sister Toyota models...)

There is more to vehicle ownership besides initial purchase cost and the amount of gasoline used - there is also the costs to maintain and insure it, and also depreciation costs.

However, the societal costs for emissions are not usually included. The hybrids tend to be at worst an ULEV, with many an AT-PZEV. Some are only sold in CA-emissions states. (Compare that to the often suggested VW TDIs, which cannot be sold new in CA-emission states because of their poor emissions.) In the US, hybrid models tend to be the best in fuel economy in their respective classes, using the same testing procedure to compare all cars: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/f*g/best/best...

Do be sure to check out the April issue of Consumer Reports if you are interested in reliability statistics (several hybrids are in the best bets).

The hybrid batteries in the currently available hybrid vehicles are usually listed by the manufacturer to last the lifetime of the vehicle, and have long warranties (not pro-rated!) to cover it. So far, hybrid battery replacements are VERY uncommon, and rarely out of warranty. Pricing is much better when buying a used unit from a wrecked vehicle (much less than $1000), and not paying dealer-inflated rates/labor prices. Old battery packs are easily recycled (and Toyota even pays a $200 bounty to the owner to be sure it is recycled!).

(PS: be sure to use a spell-checker and grammar-checker when submitting your project.  &quot;plz dont tell me 2 do mi own homework thnx&quot; is fine for IM, but is not proper English and can cost you some points on your assignment (and the disdain of many people outside of your friends).)

Answer 5

they are a really good way to find yourself in a wheelchair or dead if you crash one or find a SUV on top on you while inside one.   personal I&#039;d rather drive a gas guzzler and not have to worry about being squashed inside a tin-can.

Answer 6

http://www.hybridcarsmoney.com