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Under the hood of hybrid vehicles


Energy- and emission-efficient automobiles are increasingly relying on both combustion engines and electric motors for power.

he term hybrid automobile has held a number of meanings. An early use in the United States meant a vehicle of mixed national origins. Today, the term refers to vehicles that derive their propulsion from more than one type of power source. Hybrids are also vehicles that can use a mixture of multiple types of fuel, such as gasoline and ethanol-alcohol fuel. For this article, a hybrid vehicle is one that combines an internal combustion engine with electric batteries powering electric motors to provide force to the vehicles wheels. Parallel, serial, and power-split configurations are the most common configurations that hybrid vehicles use. The combustion engine provides most of the system energy. The graphic below shows a power-split configuration, but the types of subsystems and components are mostly similar among the different configurations. Three common hybrid modes are m hybrid, or assist; mild hybrid; and full hybrid. A m-hybrid mode uses the motor only to support improved starting and stopping of the vehicle rather than for fuel efficiency. A mild-hybrid mode adds recuperation and acceleration boosting to the functions the motor supports. A full-hybrid mode further adds the ability for the power from the motor to supersede the combustion engine for electric driving. A parallel configuration provides higher efficiency, easier integration, and lower additional cost to the engine system. However, it couples the engine and motor speed. The Citroen C3 and the Honda Civic have used a parallel configuration in m-, mild-, and full-hybrid modes. A split-power configuration offers flexible configuration, which optimizes drive comfort and torque, but it is more complex because it requires two e-machines and a planetary gear. The Toyota Prius and the Lexus use the full-hybrid mode in a splitpower configuration. A serial-hybrid configuration supports independent engine operation, but it suffers from lower efficiency and higher expense, because the system has two full-sized motors. The Orion uses this configuration in full-hybrid mode.EDN

The hybrid ECU (electrical-control unit) controls the electrical motor and the balance of the power delivered to the vehicles transmission.

A battery is the primary source of energy to operate the electric motor. A high-voltage capacitor and an inverter condition the energy.

The electric motor operates under control of the hybrid ECU.

ImAgE CoUrTEsy TExAs InsTrUmEnTs

The internal combustion engine provides most of the energy the system uses for vehicle movement and battery recharging by burning fuel such as gasoline or diesel. The engine interfaces primarily to the generator.

30 EDN | january 4, 2007

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