Nearly every major automaker plans to roll out environmentally friendly vehicles or add to its current fleet of hybrids or hydrogen-powered cars.
If these plans come to fruition, by around 2012 consumers will be able to choose from:
Battery-powered electric vehicles Plug-in hybrids Fuel-cell vehicles that use hydrogen
A century ago, cars powered by gasoline, steam and electricity battled for supremacy. Over the next decade, consumers once again will have a number of powertrains and fuels from which to choose. Back then, gasoline-fueled internal combustion engines emerged triumphant. This time there may be more than one winner.
Daimler AG's Smart microcar shows how Americans' car-buying patterns are evolving in an era of environmental concerns and fluctuating fuel prices. Smart has proved that some people will plunk down $13,000 to $20,000 for a small, highly maneuverable car best suited to cities rather than highway driving. First-year sales totaled about 25,000.
So a small battery-powered electric car such as the upcoming Mitsubishi i MiEV or Toyota FT-EV could find a place on American roads, even though the driving range will be limited to about 100 miles on a charge.
Because so many automakers are working on advanced-propulsion vehicles and often giving different names to the same technologies, it is difficult to keep track of all that is going on.
So Automotive News has put together a Hybrid Guide explaining the powertrains of the future. We define the terms you see in automakers' messages. We explain how the different types of hybrids work.
Also included is a list of major automakers' plans for hybrids and electric vehicles with as much information as is known – such as what kind of hybrid it is, what kind of batteries it uses and when it will be available.
The full guide is available online at autonews.com/hybridguide. Here's a small sampling:
Types of vehicles
Not all hybrids work the same way. There are two types of hybrids: full (or strong) and mild. There also are two different powertrain configurations: series and parallel.
Here's how they work:
Full hybrid: Found in the Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion Hybrid and Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, it can be driven short distances by the electric motor alone. After a percentage of the battery's charge is used or when the vehicle reaches a certain speed, the gasoline engine turns on, drives the wheels and recharges the battery pack. Under heavy acceleration, both the engine and the motor drive the wheels.
Mild hybrid: Found in the Honda Civic Hybrid, it uses the electric motor to supplement the gasoline engine. In other words, the electric motor reduces the load on the gasoline engine and acts as a stop-start system. The electric motor does not drive the vehicle by itself.
Mild hybrid powertrains are designed in two ways. The first has an electric motor sandwiched between the engine and the transmission, as in Honda Motor Co.'s Integrated Motor Assist. General Motors uses another approach in its Belt-Alternator Starter system. It has a combined motor/generator bolted to the front of the engine.