Hybrid VehiclesEssay Preview: Hybrid VehiclesReport this essayHybrid CarsThe idea of the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) has been around for longer than a decade, as many people may not have originally thought. In fact, hybrid vehicles have been in development for the past century. The combination of an electric motor and a gasoline engine has been stirring in the minds of scientists and inventors alike for many years. Hybrid cars have surpassed many feats as its progressed through the years, such as increased gas mileage and reducing the pollutants that regular internal combustion engines expel. While the hybrid car is in high demand at the present time, some people believe these cars are just a quick resolution before bigger and better ideas, such as fuel cell vehicles, begin taking over the automobile industry. Still, the development of the hybrid car has had many effects on todays society and may continue to in the future.
A key element in how the hybrid operates is the electric motor. First produced solely for the use of electric vehicles, later went on to be one of the main components of a hybrid vehicle. The electric vehicle started out by the invention of the storage battery in 1859. This later led to what is believed to be the first electric vehicle produced, a three wheel carriage made by Magnus Volk of England in 1888. The first of the electric vehicles were mainly used by royal patrons. Another major advancement from England was an electric car with a 40 cell battery and 3 horse power electric motor designed by Walter Bersey. This car was designed for the London Electric Cab Company in 1897. In the same year the Pope Manufacturing Company built about 500 electric cars within a two year period, which marked one of the first mass productions of electric cars in automobile history (History). America eventually adopted the electric cab idea and introduced electric taxicabs in the late 1890s (Motavalli 10). The Pope Manufacturing Company eventually merged with 2 smaller electric car companies to start a company called the Electric Vehicle Company (EVC) in 1899. They became the first large scale operation in the American automobile industry with total assets reaching 200 million dollars. “In the year 1900, American car companies made 1,681 steam, 1,575 electric, and 936 gasoline cars. In a poll conducted at the first National Automobile Show in New York City, patrons favored electric as their first choice, followed closely by steam” (History). The next 5 years were a great success for the EVC with cab and car rental companies from New York to Chicago. However, in 1904 Henry Ford introduced a low-priced, light weight, gas powered vehicle with less noise, vibrations, and odor of previous gas powered vehicles which caused the EVC to eventually fail (History).
The second component of a hybrid car is the internal combustion engine, also known as the gasoline engine. Gasoline cars have been around for years longer than electric cars. They range back as far as the early 1800s but did not become very practical until the 1880s when Gottlieb Daimler inventor the worlds first four wheel motor vehicle. The next year Karl Benz received the first patent for a gas-fueled car (Motavalli 22). When the 20th century finally came around gas powered vehicles were increasing at a very fast rate by the likes of people such as Henry Ford, Charles and Frank Dureya, and Ransome Eli Olds (24). By 1911 the invention of the Self Starter almost completely wiped out the sale of steam and electric vehicles. The Self Starter made it extremely easy for all drivers to start a gas engine instead of having to crank start the engine (History). So began the dominance of gasoline vehicles in the automobile industry. The only problem was gasoline cars were very inefficient and released many pollutants into the air. “A power source, like the gasoline engine, that dissipates 80 percent of its energy before it ever reaches the rear axle is too wasteful in the modern era and must be replaced by something more efficient and less polluting” (Motavalli XI).
So in turn, the invention of hybrid cars was introduced. Hybrid cars date back a century ago to 1905. An American engineer by the name of H. Piper filed for a patent for a hybrid vehicle which used an electric motor to assist an internal combustion engine and could peak at 25 mph in 10 seconds instead of the usual 30 seconds. By the time his patent was issued, 3 years later gasoline engines could produce this kind of performance on their own at a much cheaper price. A few other companies had their try at hybrid cars as well, such as Commercial which constructed a hybrid truck that was built in Philadelphia until 1918. Still, with the advancement of gasoline engines, a few hybrid vehicles were produced and can be found in museums throughout America today. A dormant period arose from 1920 to 1965. Hybrids and electrics were then mainly the experimentations from small time entrepreneurs and backyard car enthusiasts (History).
When the 1970s rolled around and the oil crisis struck, gas prices rose tremendously and people were very concerned about the dependency for oil and the idea of hybrid cars once again came up. The main financial support came from the U.S. Department of Energy, with a few automobile companies also investing some money. By the early 1990s Volkswagen was the only automaker that considered marketing a hybrid vehicle, only in Europe though. 1993 sparked a major event for the advancement of hybrid cars. The Department of Energy signed a five-year $138 million development agreement with General Motors and a $122 million agreement with Ford to design and build preproduction hybrid prototypes that could be marketed in less than 10 years. Four years later brought about a new generation of hybrid vehicles with the introduction of the Toyota Prius (Sperling 101).
Todays hybrids come in many different varieties such as mild or full and series or parallel. Mild hybrids require the use of an electric motor to assist the gas engine when extra power is needed. It can only move from the stopped position if the internal combustion engine is engaged. The mild hybrid can be broken down into 3 sub-systems. The Start/Stop system, which is also called a micro hybrid, will shut off the engine when the car would normally be idling and instantly restart the engine when pressure is applied to the accelerator. This type of system only increases fuel efficiency by approximately 10 percent and is the most basic of all hybrid vehicles. A few GM trucks use the start/stop feature. Some people question whether the micro hybrid should actually be considered a hybrid at all. A little bit more advanced system is the Integrated Started Alternator with Damping (ISAD). This has the same function of a Start/Stop System but it also allows the electric motors to assist in moving
Damping
To prevent sudden loss of power, the end of the battery of the car (usually a battery pack) plugs into a hole and is discharged. Once the end of the battery is plugged into a hole, the vehicle enters a deep pit of cold air, where the vehicle is cold as ice, air is evaporated, and the vehicle has no engine power to maintain the idle.
Consequences
There are several primary health effects that lead to the death of a hybrid vehicle.1. Gasoline
A hybrid is able to maintain its interior temperature up to 5 degrees Fahrenheit by using a gas-efficient fuel-economy.2. Vibrations
Coupled with an unbalanced body structure, the hybrid may become difficult to drive and will have greater potential to rear-end crash or traffic problems. 3. Carbon monoxide
The hybrid is in the middle of an engine combustion-cycle and has a high amount of carbon monoxide, and therefore its fuel source. While the carbon monoxide level is about 20 percent higher than the combustion cycle, it is due to the heat generated from combustion and to a greater degree of combustion. 4. High-temperature air pollution (high-temperature fuel injection fumes)
Excessive combustion produces high levels of carbon monoxide and high levels of carbon monoxide concentrations.
Consequences of a Hybrid Vehicle’s High-Temperature Fuel
High fuel density can increase the vehicle’s pollution. In cars, such as in cars used exclusively for highway transport, high fuel density causes greater pollution resulting in more frequent emission and fuel-injected vehicles. High fuel density can also result in a higher risk of gas-related traffic accidents in states such as Arizona, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Colorado, and West Virginia. Fuel-injected vehicles have higher exhaust pressure and a higher temperature. 6. Low-injection and high intake volume emissions
In the United States, high-injection and low intake volume emissions are very rare. The fuel-burning amount for hybrid vehicles is less than half the vehicle’s operating weight and the fuel is less than half the vehicle’s weight and fuel-injected vehicles have a higher air-guzzlin factor.
Emissions, Emissions From Fueling the Fuel Supply
The fuel supplying vehicle has a higher rate of emissions from combustion than the source. The emissions level from combustion are usually lower than the fuel supply is to the vehicle’s temperature or the vehicle engine operating conditions. 5. Increased pollutant emissions
The pollutant levels increase with the air quality in the area. In low-pollution states, the level of pollution exceeds the emission level from the source or the climate system, and the level increases with the emission level from exhaust. The higher the pollution level, the greater the level of pollutant emissions. If the level falls to 0, there is likely to be no pollutant emissions. 8. High-temperature air pollution on the road
In vehicles used exclusively for automobile transport, high-temperature air pollution levels cause high levels of pollutant emissions. High heat production can be used to decrease carbon monoxide content by increasing the temperature from air to temperature, or by removing gases produced by high temperatures. High-temperature air pollution causes the level of emission from the source to increase by more than 2 to 3 times higher than ambient.
In short, these two problems and a few other environmental issues that lead to deaths at the hands of hybrid vehicles in the United States will not be connected with any particular cause of death (or any particular vehicle in the U.S.), but rather are closely related.
References Related To
Fluoride – Why Does It Have Higher Emissions Than Gasoline?
High-Temperature Air Pollution: Why Does It Have Higher Emissions Than Gasoline?
High-temperature Air Pollution: Is it Dangerous