Hybrid

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics 2012

We all know about petrol cars, and most people have heard about or seen electric cars. A hybrid car is a combination of both. A hybrid vehicle contains parts of both gasoline and electric vehicles.

A easeir way of  understing the advantages of a hybrid vehicle is to think about a car traveling down a motorway at the crusing speed on level ground. In this case, the engine is doing three things:

1. It is overcoming rolling resistance in the drive train.
2. It is overcoming air resistance.
3. It is powering accessories like the alternator, the power steering pump and the air conditioner.

The engine might need to produce no more than 10 or 20 horsepower (HP) to carry this load. The reason why cars have 100- or 200-horsepower engines to is handle acceleration from a standing stop, as well as for passing and hill climbing. We only use the maximum HP rating for 1% of our driving time. The rest of the time, we are carrying around the weight and the friction of the much larger engine, which wastes a lot of energy.

In a traditional hybrid vehicle, you have a complete electric car. It includes an electric motor to provide all of the power to the wheels, as well as batteries to supply the motor with electricity. Then you have a completely separategasoline engine powering a generator. The engine is very small -- perhaps 10 to 20 horsepower -- and it is designed to run at just one speed for maximum efficiency. The purpose of this small, efficient engine is to provide enough power for the car at its cruising speed. During times of acceleration, the batteries provide the extra power necessary. When the car is decelerating or standing still, the batteries recharge. This sort of hybrid car is essentially an electric car with a built-in recharger for longer range. The advantage is that the small, efficient gasoline engine gets great mileage.

Hybrid Car Image Gallery 

2008 HowStuffWorks

As more auto companies aim to develop the perfect hybrid car, BMW has announced their full-hybrid concept, the Vision EfficientDynamics Hybrid Concept Car. The 4-seater concept combines both performance and efficiency with some unique and interesting characteristics. It is powered by a three cylinder turbo diesel with two electric motors, and has final output numbers of 356 hp and 590 ft lbs of torque. Featuring all wheel drive, the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics has an electric motor on the front and rear axles. The performance numbers for the hybrid concept car are 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds, with a top speed of 250 km/h that is electronically limited.
Fuel consumption is great at only 3.76 liters/100 km, and CO2 emissions are 99 grams/km. BMW didn’t forget their “Ultimate Driving Experience” motto, so the concept car is focused on establishing just that.


Read more: http://www.cars.currentblips.com/2011/02/bmw-vision-efficientdynamics-hybrid.html#ixzz1WVH2Rur6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owPFH53rtbM