Will renewable technology drive the future of the car industry?
Hybrid cars – Will renewable technology drive the future of the car industry?
The automotive world is ever changing. Whether it’s how vehicles look on the outside, or their composition on the inside. This post will discuss the latter, in particular hybrid cars. There has definitely been a huge increase in the number of hybrid cars on the roads, especially in the UK.
Are you thinking of taking the plunge and going green? A brief overview on hybrids will be provided, as well as outlining other alternate energy-powered vehicles. This post will also identify the advantages that may convince you to put down that petrol pump and plug in a Prius!
Background
It seems to be a common misconception that electric powered cars are a new idea, but the truth is the contrary. Lohner-Porsche experimented with dual-engine hybrid technology in 1901. The idea didn’t take off because petroleum was readily available. This meant that petrol-engine vehicles were favoured due to the accessibility of fuel.
It wasn’t until the late nineties that we saw the emergence of these types of vehicles again. The first mass-produced hybrid vehicle was a name that we all recognise, the Toyota Prius. First produced in 1997, the Prius became the famous (or infamous) icon of renewable energy powered vehicles.
This was followed closely by fellow Japanese car manufacturers, Honda. They attempted to rival the Prius in 1999 with the Honda Insight. Although at the time, this type of technology was seen as unnecessary due to low oil and gas prices. But nowadays, oil and gas prices don’t seem to be getting any lower, so is there an opportunity for this technology to thrive?
What are hybrid cars?
The basis of this technology is the combination of an internal combustion engine, which is the engine found in normal vehicles, and an electric motor and battery. That is obviously a simplified version of what the technology consists of, but you get the idea; two energy sources combining to power the vehicle.
These types of vehicles also use regenerative braking systems, which involves the storage of energy (heat) produced by the car during breaking. This energy is then recycled and converted so that it can be used immediately to power the vehicle, or stored until needed.
Believe it or not, there are a few different types of hybrid cars, which use different versions of the technology. Below is an outline of each:
Plug-in hybrids – these types of vehicles involve the use of rechargeable batteries which are charged via an external electrical source. An example of a plug-in hybrid is the Chevrolet Volt.
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) – are also referred to as Battery Electric Only Vehicles (BEOV). In this type of vehicle, the internal combustion engine is replaced with an electric one. Meaning all power comes from battery packs which contain stored energy. These battery packs are charged like plug-ins, via an external electrical source. The best-selling BEV on the market is the Nissan Leaf, which sold 200,000 units worldwide from its release in early December 2015.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicle – to power vehicles using hydrogen fuel cell technology, involves the process of converting the chemical energy found in hydrogen into mechanical energy. This can be done either by burning hydrogen in an internal combustion engine, or reacting the hydrogen with oxygen in a fuel cell. The first commercial vehicle utilising this technology was the Toyota Marai, which was released in 2015.
Advantages
The advantages of these vehicles are unquestionable. Renewable technology is seen as the future, provoking more car manufacturers to make hybrid vehicles. Ford, Volkswagen, Fiat, Mitsubishi, Tesla, and more recently Jaguar are experimenting with this type of technology.
How long will it be until we see purely electric cars on the roads? Norway are one step ahead, the government are planning on abolishing petrol and diesel cars completely by 2025, and are responsible for purchasing one in every four plug-in electric vehicles. No wonder they have one of the world’s lowest values of carbon emissions. Good job, Norway.
The automotive world is ever changing. Whether it’s how vehicles look on the outside, or their composition on the inside. This post will discuss the latter, in particular hybrid cars. There has definitely been a huge increase in the number of hybrid cars on the roads, especially in the UK.
Are you thinking of taking the plunge and going green? A brief overview on hybrids will be provided, as well as outlining other alternate energy-powered vehicles. This post will also identify the advantages that may convince you to put down that petrol pump and plug in a Prius!
Background
It seems to be a common misconception that electric powered cars are a new idea, but the truth is the contrary. Lohner-Porsche experimented with dual-engine hybrid technology in 1901. The idea didn’t take off because petroleum was readily available. This meant that petrol-engine vehicles were favoured due to the accessibility of fuel.
It wasn’t until the late nineties that we saw the emergence of these types of vehicles again. The first mass-produced hybrid vehicle was a name that we all recognise, the Toyota Prius. First produced in 1997, the Prius became the famous (or infamous) icon of renewable energy powered vehicles.
This was followed closely by fellow Japanese car manufacturers, Honda. They attempted to rival the Prius in 1999 with the Honda Insight. Although at the time, this type of technology was seen as unnecessary due to low oil and gas prices. But nowadays, oil and gas prices don’t seem to be getting any lower, so is there an opportunity for this technology to thrive?
What are hybrid cars?
The basis of this technology is the combination of an internal combustion engine, which is the engine found in normal vehicles, and an electric motor and battery. That is obviously a simplified version of what the technology consists of, but you get the idea; two energy sources combining to power the vehicle.
These types of vehicles also use regenerative braking systems, which involves the storage of energy (heat) produced by the car during breaking. This energy is then recycled and converted so that it can be used immediately to power the vehicle, or stored until needed.
Believe it or not, there are a few different types of hybrid cars, which use different versions of the technology. Below is an outline of each:
Plug-in hybrids – these types of vehicles involve the use of rechargeable batteries which are charged via an external electrical source. An example of a plug-in hybrid is the Chevrolet Volt.
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) – are also referred to as Battery Electric Only Vehicles (BEOV). In this type of vehicle, the internal combustion engine is replaced with an electric one. Meaning all power comes from battery packs which contain stored energy. These battery packs are charged like plug-ins, via an external electrical source. The best-selling BEV on the market is the Nissan Leaf, which sold 200,000 units worldwide from its release in early December 2015.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicle – to power vehicles using hydrogen fuel cell technology, involves the process of converting the chemical energy found in hydrogen into mechanical energy. This can be done either by burning hydrogen in an internal combustion engine, or reacting the hydrogen with oxygen in a fuel cell. The first commercial vehicle utilising this technology was the Toyota Marai, which was released in 2015.
Advantages
- Reduction in the amount of CO2 and Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.
- Reduction in noise pollution due to “silent” electric engines.
- The combination of the two engines results in an overall power boost to the vehicle.
- Regenerative heat braking technology results in a lower fuel consumption due to the recycled energy.
- Plug-in hybrids increase fuel savings by using an all-electric engine.
The advantages of these vehicles are unquestionable. Renewable technology is seen as the future, provoking more car manufacturers to make hybrid vehicles. Ford, Volkswagen, Fiat, Mitsubishi, Tesla, and more recently Jaguar are experimenting with this type of technology.
How long will it be until we see purely electric cars on the roads? Norway are one step ahead, the government are planning on abolishing petrol and diesel cars completely by 2025, and are responsible for purchasing one in every four plug-in electric vehicles. No wonder they have one of the world’s lowest values of carbon emissions. Good job, Norway.
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