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godzilla 22 August 2006 Technology 554 views 7 Comments Print This Post  Email This Post

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Any vehicle is a hybrid when it combines two or more sources of power. Most hybrid cars on the road right now are gasoline-electric hybrids. Since gasoline hybrids are the kind you’ll find at your local car dealership, we’ll focus on those in this article but before that let’s just look at some other type of hybrids that are current been studied.

- A full hybrid is a gas-powered car that has a fuel tank, which supplies gasoline to the engine. The engine then turns a transmission, which turns the wheels. Also known as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

- A hydraulic hybrid vehicle uses hydraulic and mechanical components instead of electrical ones. A variable displacement pump replaces the motor/generator, and a hydraulic accumulator replaces the batteries.

- A pneumatic hybrid uses compressed air to power a car with a gasoline compressor to provide the power.

- A high-Power Biodiesel Hybrid is the newest hybrid that meant be in the market soon. It runs on a hybrid engine with a mix of fuels and have excellent fuel efficiency and power. Fuel sources typically are gasoline and ethanol.

What I’ll be concentrating on this article is the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) that is currently available from many car makers. In Singapore, we have two choices, Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius.

Basically, a hybrid electric vehicle combines an internal combustion engine and an electric motor powered by batteries, merging the best features of today’s combustion engine cars and electric vehicles. The combination allows the electric motor and batteries to help the conventional engine operate more efficiently, cutting down on fuel use. Meanwhile, the gasoline-fueled combustion engine overcomes the limited driving range of an electric vehicle. In the end, this hybridization gives you the ability to drive 500 miles or more using less fuel and never having to plug in for recharging. Gasoline-fueled HEVs are among a select few vehicle technologies that can provide dramatically increased fuel economy and extremely low levels of smog-forming and cancer causing emissions, while delivering the safety and performance the public has come to expect.

The Mercedes-Benz M-Class HyPer — a hybrid concept vehicle
Pix from HowStuffsWorks

So how can a hybrid vehicle helps the environment?
A gallon of gasoline weighs just over 6 pounds. When burned, the carbon in it combines with oxygen from the air to produce nearly 20 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2). By switching from a gas guzzler to a hybrid, you can literally save the earth a couple of tons of greenhouse gases.

A U.S study found that U.S. cars and light trucks together consume 8.2 million barrels of oil each day. This translates to over 300 million metric tons of carbon that comes from our cars and trucks every year. Its transportation CO2 emissions are the largest part (about one-third) of all of their CO2 emissions, more than from factories, homes, and all other sources. If fuel economy were improved by 5 mpg, American consumers would save 1.5 million barrels of oil per day. This would equate to an annual reduction of approximately 55 million metric tons of carbon emissions per day. Moving the world’s drivers to more fuel-efficient automotive technology, such as hybrid cars and alternative fuel vehicles, could be one part of a comprehensive strategy to mitigate global warming and its effects.

Do take a look below on the two models of hybrid vehicles available in Singapore and a comparison of its non-hybrid equivalents.

From City Driving;
Honda Civic Hybrid gives 49mpg
Honda Civic 1.8L (auto) gives 30mpg

Toyota Prius gives 60mpg
Toyota Corolla 1.8L CE gives 32mpg

For Highway driving;
Honda Civic Hybrid gives 51mpg
Honda Civic 1.8L (auto) gives 40mpg

Toyota Prius gives 51mpg
Toyota Corolla 1.8L CE gives 41mpg

Pix of Honda Civic Hybrid from http://automobiles.honda.com

Pix of Toyota Prius 2006 from http://www.toyota.com/prius

In average, a hybrid vehicle can easily save 17mpg which is 5.1million barrels of oil saved per day in the U.S. As such, I’ll strongly urge the relevant authority in Singapore to seriously consider providing more incentives for owners to switch to a hybrid vehicle especially when there is the Singapore NCSS going on.