Are hybrids a cure for excess carbon emissions and high fuel consumption?

Since the late 2000s, the hybrid car has been a staple of the Philippine automotive scene.

Toyota first did it with the Prius compact hatchback and the Prius-c subcompact hatchback.

A number of automakers followed suit, starting with BYD’s Qin compact car, Honda’s Insight compact car, CR-Z performance hatchback and Legend saloon and Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus with hybrid versions of the NX crossover and LS saloon for a good part of the 2010s.

As of press time, more hybrids have appeared as part of automakers’ rosters, including:

• Mazda (the 3 compact car and CX-30 subcompact crossover)
• Suzuki (the Ertiga multi-purpose vehicle)
• Toyota (the Corolla Altis compact car, the Corolla Cross and RAV4 sport-utility vehicles/SUVs and the Camry saloon)
• Lexus (the UX, NX and RX series SUVs, along with the IS, ES and LS sedans)
• Geely (the Azkarra and Okavango SUVs)
• Nissan (the Kicks SUV and Leaf subcompact hatch)
• Chery (the flagship Tiggo Pro 8 SUV)
• Mitsubishi (the Outlander PHEV compact crossover)

With an increasing number of manufacturers offering hybrids, it begs questions as to what exactly hybrids are and how they work.

When reciprocating engines and electric motors collide

A hybrid car puts an internal combustion (IC) engine and an electric motor into one automobile.

Horsepower and torque are produced by both aforementioned means of propulsion, with either electricity or gasoline used as the juice to move the vehicle around.

One can toggle between making the IC motor or the electric motor do the work, with most of the electricity needed for propulsion coming from a high-voltage battery separate from the 12-volt battery intended for the IC mill.

The battery meant for the electric powerplant gets its vigor from regenerative braking, from plugging a built-in cable into an electric socket (like those on all-electric vehicles) or even via the accompanying gas engine.

What is regenerative braking?

Short story long, braking generates kinetic energy and that kinetic energy can be converted into electric energy (via an electrical load) to charge a battery.

This is done via the kinetic energy transferred to an electrical load within all four wheels. That said, you might ask if staying idle makes a hybrid car charge the battery.

The answer is no, as the kinetic energy coming from the regenerative braking process is only produced during deceleration.  

Gasoline charger

The juice for the electric motor can also be charged via the accompanying gas engine on the vehicle.

One example of this is the gas-electric powerplant combo on the Nissan Kicks SUV that the Japanese marque calls e-POWER.

This hybrid setup makes the electric motor drive the wheels, using energy from an onboard battery that’s charged primarily from regenerative braking. When battery juice gets low, the gas engine is activated to recharge the electric mill’s battery.

This is different from the hybrid setups mentioned earlier in this story, as the Kicks’ electric motor is the primary means of propulsion instead of the petrol powerplant.

Why electric?

The reasons an electric motor is used for a hybrid automobile are the torque generation and the reduced reliance on the gas engine for propulsion (and thus less fossil fuel burned). 

In an IC vehicle, torque emanates via the combustion of fuel (whether diesel or gasoline), which then turns engine parts like the pistons, connecting rods and the crankshaft.

This, in turn, rotates the transmission and moves the vehicle’s wheels and tires.

An electric motor, in contrast, needs no fossil fuel. This is because electric motors use an electric current, which moves through a magnetic field and creates the force necessary to rotate its parts (along with the linked transmission) and get the car moving.

It’s a process that works pretty seamlessly, although one of the drawbacks to it is that it also creates a counter electromagnetic force (EMF) or what is popularly known as back EMF.

Over time, back EMF slows down rotation, reducing torque. With no back EMF present when a car starts, it’s able to get out of the gate quickly, even if that high torque isn’t endlessly sustainable.

How a parallel hybrid works

Hybrid automobiles come in different types, but always use a pairing of an IC engine and an electric motor.

The most common type of hybrid is the parallel type, which was used by “pioneers” like the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Honda CR-Z. 

This type of hybrid uses the gas powerplant as the primary driver of the vehicle’s four wheels, with the electric motor used to provide instant torque from rest or in low-speed situations.

When power demands are low, parallel hybrids also utilize the motor as a generator for supplemental recharging, much like an alternator in conventional cars.

What makes the parallel hybrid vehicle different from other types of hybrids is the smaller battery pack for the electric motor than other hybrids. Plus, both internal combustion and electric motors use just one transmission.

Since the engine is connected directly to the wheels in parallel drivetrains, the inefficiency of converting mechanical power to electricity and back is eliminated, increasing the efficiency of these hybrids on the highway.

This reduces, but does not eliminate, the efficiency benefits of having an electric motor and battery in stop-and-go traffic.

How a series hybrid works

Another type of hybrid vehicle is the series type, such as the BMW i3.

The electric motor provides the grunt and the gasoline engine is just there to recharge the battery. As a result, there is never a mechanical connection between the engine and the wheels.

This results in a driving experience that's more indicative of an electric car, with smoother motion from rest and less vibration when the gasoline engine gets activated.

However, that engagement doesn't always happen in concert with what your right foot is doing, so the petrol mill engine might be revving up while the unit is cruising.

Plug-in capability

Then there’s the plug-in hybrid like the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro and the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

By its name alone, it has a unique feature similar to electric cars – the ability to rapidly charge its battery via electrical outlet charging, whether at your home office or a public charging station.

Thus, a larger battery is required for bigger juice and further range on pure electricity, with the latter ability providing some 24 to 89 km (depending on model) and providing less fuel consumption than its series or parallel hybrid counterparts.

However, if you run out of battery juice for the electric motor, the car becomes a parallel hybrid, mostly using the petrol powerplant and leaning on regenerative braking to charge the battery. 

From mild to wild

The abovementioned hybrid types are full-on hybrids, which is the equivalent of the xX Hot (extremely spicy) or Hot (spicy) sauces one can find at your typical Nando’s peri-peri chicken resto.

Then there’s the mild type of hybrid, which includes the Geely Okavango and the recently launched Suzuki Ertiga Hybrid.

Like the Mild type of Nando’s sauce, these hybrids may not provide as much electrical motor acceleration enjoyment (or spice kick) as a fully-charged plug-in hybrid or a series hybrid because of the lack of an all-electric feature.

But the mild hybrid works just like a parallel hybrid, such that there’s a small battery pack and an electric motor with an integrated starter-generator that is both an ignition provider and a virtual powerbank to help the gas engine.

The biggest benefit here is that the electric motor significantly helps juice for acceleration or turns off the petrol engine while coasting and restarts the gas mill when you step on the throttle pedal for needed motion from a standstill. 

Is getting a hybrid vehicle right for you?

Like any item that is ingested into your digestive system, a hybrid vehicle, when taken in moderation, can give you motoring pleasure that an all-IC vehicle cannot.

With a hybrid unit, you can go further on a liter of petrol, reduce what comes out of your tailpipe and contribute less to the smog of the country and the increased warming of the world. 

AutoFun Philippines has also written about the pros and cons of owning a hybrid.

Yes, your hybrid vehicle can be used daily. But like any vehicle, you should put away some time and cash for its upkeep.

And knowing how your hybrid vehicle works can help you discern what ails it should something wrong occur.

What do you think about hybrid technology?