Structure and Parts of a Gasoline and Electric Hybrid Car

The hybrid car is the new favorite among all the people who want to make the environment friendly choice. Although they have been in the market for almost a decade, it has only recently got very popular with the people as they are more affordable, efficient and the sense of responsibility to the planet is only just spreading. The structure of a hybrid car basically has a gasoline engine, a tank, electric motor, a generator, ECU batteries and the transmission. Each of these parts is discussed in detail in this article for your better understanding of the hybrid car.

Gasoline engine found in a hybrid car is only slightly different from the one on a regular car. It is smaller and designed to be more efficient while the working remains the same. The emissions are greatly reduced which helps with keeping it environment friendly. The engine is generally made of four cylinders or less. The gasoline required to run this goes into the fuel tank. The main feature of the car is the electric motor, which is always the most sophisticated feature of the entire structure. The latest developments allow it to be a generator as well during braking operations. This helps charge the batteries and improves efficiency.

The generator is found mainly in series hybrids where it is used to produce electrical power that is in turn used to charge the batteries. Apart from the fuel tank, the rechargeable batteries are the main source of power to run the hybrids. The energy used by the electric motor comes from the power present in the batteries or from the gasoline engine. The electric motor is able to not only draw power from these batteries but they can also charge them during certain actions. Electronic Control Unit(ECU) is what controls the source of energy used during various conditions. It also determines when to switch between using gas and electric power. The energy requirement during certain driving condition can be such that the power from the batteries isn't enough or the batteries aren't charged enough. At times like this the ECU will switch the control to the as engine. It also gives the user a feedback on the range, miles cover per gallon, etc. All the data obtained is displayed on the dashboard for the driver to see.

The transmission present in the hybrid is similar to the one found in regular cars. Although the working is similar, the transmission can be powered in different ways depending on the model of the car. The parallel hybrid used both the power of the gasoline engine as well as the electric motor for propulsion. Here, while the gasoline engine is connected to the transmission, so is the electric motor. The working of a series hybrid is different as the energy obtained from the gasoline engine is used to charge the batteries, which then run the electric motor. The motor is the only thing connected to the transmission.