Welcome to our latest edition of the Cambodia Buying Guide – Hybrid Cars.
The era of hybrid cars and trucks was ushered in with the arrival of the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius. This marked a revolution in gas-saving technology, with more and more vehicles relying at least partly on electric power. The total hybrids sold in 2000 were just under 10,000, and by 2021, that number grew to more than 800,000, indicating the popularity of hybrid cars. But what exactly makes a hybrid car a hybrid, and why are there different kinds of hybrid vehicles?
A hybrid car features both an internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric motor that combine to provide power to the vehicle. The electric motor is typically smaller than what is found in a fully electric vehicle, as is the battery pack that powers the motor. Additionally, a hybrid car’s engine is tuned for efficiency rather than power since power from the electric motor and combustion engine are combined to move the vehicle.
Introduction to Hybrid Cars
Electric cars can be expensive and difficult to produce, and they may present issues with range or charging locations for some owners. This is where the hybrid car steps in, combining the efficient assistance of an electric motor and battery with the easy refueling of an ICE vehicle to help drivers achieve better fuel economy and reduce emissions while maintaining a normal driving range.
Explore: 2000-2006 Honda Insight | Used Vehicle Spotlight
The Toyota Prius holds the title of the most successful hybrid vehicle ever produced. Below are images of all four prior generations of the Prius.
Hybrid cars are more complex to design and produce than traditional ICE or electric vehicles. Due to their combination of ICE power and electric power, they must blend both types of car into a single driving experience.
Types of Hybrid Cars: Serial vs. Parallel
Hybrid cars are hybrids because they are a combination of two types of powertrain. However, there are also different types of hybrid cars, commonly divided into serial or parallel hybrid cars. So, what do these terms mean?
A parallel hybrid is similar to the Toyota Prius, with an ICE engine and an electric motor that can work together or independently to provide power to the vehicle. Both are capable of directly providing the torque to move the vehicle forward.
A serial hybrid, on the other hand, operates as an electric car with an onboard generator. Like the original Chevrolet Volt, it uses its ICE engine to charge its battery pack and then uses the stored electricity to drive the wheels with an electric motor.
Difference Between Plug-In Hybrid vs. Regular Hybrid Cars
Finally, there’s the distinction between plug-in hybrid cars and regular hybrids. Regardless of whether a hybrid is serial or parallel, it can be either a plug-in hybrid or not. A plug-in hybrid must have the ability to have power plugged into it to charge the onboard battery. Any hybrid without this ability, and which therefore relies solely on regenerative braking and the onboard ICE for charging is not a plug-in hybrid.
Plug-in hybrids are more similar to electric cars than traditional ICE-only cars and offer extended electric-power-only driving range compared to conventional hybrids.
Today, nearly every type of vehicle offers hybrid options, from the Toyota Prius hatchback to the Toyota RAV4 sport utility vehicle, the Ford F-150 hybrid pickup truck, and Jeep Wrangler off-roader.
What is not a hybrid car?
Cars powered solely by internal combustion engines:
The majority of vehicles sold today are ICE vehicles from compact cars to pickup trucks, relying solely on gasoline, diesel, or other combustion engines without the benefit of any electric drive power, categorizing them as non-hybrids.
Electric cars:
With growing concerns about emissions and the environment, more carmakers have begun building electric vehicles, which replace the combustion engine with an electric motor, battery pack, and sophisticated electronics to drive on electricity alone.
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