A hybrid vehicle is one
that can run on more than just one type of power source. The power
source can be manual as well as electrical or mechanical. With
reference to cars, hybrid cars is a term that is used for vehicles that
can run on gasoline or diesel as well as on battery power generated
from Lead-Acid or Nickel-metal hydride based cells.
The science behind hybrid cars is not very complicated. In all the
commercially available hybrid cars both internal combustion engine as
well as an electrical motor are installed. Both of these can
individually produce enough power to run the car. At lower speeds the
batteries can produce enough power to move the motor and thereby power
the car. However, at higher speeds or when the battery charge goes down
power from gasoline is required and according the internal combustion
engine is turned on. Generally for speeds up to 40 mph electrical power
generated from the on-board batteries is sufficient enough. The
internal combustion engine is also turned on when the batteries run out
of charge and need to be recharged. This ensures that the car needn't
be stopped or plugged anywhere if the batteries run out of power.
Most of the hybrid cars use only electric power when the car is
reversing or is idle since it requires very little power during both of
these operations. But how does it really work? Well, initially the car
needs a greater amount of energy, especially while accelerating. This
is when both, internal combustion engine as well as the battery powered
motor work. When the car is stopped energy produced by regenerative
breaking gets converted into electrical energy which is stored away in
the battery. While the car is cruising, the internal combustion engine
is often dormant and only the electrical motor powered by the batteries
is used to propel the car. One of the benefits of having twin power
systems, the internal combustion engine as well as electrical motor is
that the car often gives a feeling of being more powerful than it
really is. This feature is especially highlighted during the times when
you are driving a hybrid car and trying to overtake a vehicle. In this
situation both the engine as well as the electrical motor work in
tandem producing a lot of power for a short span of time to propel the
vehicle quickly forward.
Also, something that is worth noticing in a hybrid car is that the
larger the size of the batteries and the motor, the greater is the
braking energy that it can recover before the need for internal
combustion engine to be turned on is required.

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