Hybrid Electric Cars
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Q: Are there any Hybrid/Electric cars that are 6 speed manual?
I was wondering if there any hybrid cars that are 5 or 6 speed manual (stick shift)? Would it make sense to make hybrid 5 speed manual vehicles considering 5 speed manual cars are cheaper on gas but does it make a difference to have a 5 or 6 speed that is hybrid (electric)? if that’s even an option.
A: There is a 5-speed manual electric car:
http://greenhome.huddler.com/products/green-vehicles-triac
But currently no other manual hybrids or electrics that I’m aware of. The thing is that while making a transmission manual improves mileage for internal combustion engines, generally that’s not the case for electric motors.
Q: What are some not well known electric/hybrid cars available for sale in the US?
I keep seeing all these stories with various models of hybrids and electric cars. Of course we all know about cars like the Prius, but where are all the other cars at? The ones we see and say ‘oh cool’ but we never see for sale?
A: The Lexus LS 600h L is a real beaut, but is priced over $100,000. I wouldn’t go Japanese though, just admired that one car!
Q: Will we will completely transfer from gas to hybrid or electric cars in my life time?
I’m 15 years old I have always liked old cars mainly 58-77. I hate the way hybrid cars look and I completely hate the idea of electric cars it just doesn’t seem practical. My dad was a mechanic and I always looked up to him because you ask him about anything mechanical and he could tell you what a car is by the sound of it he doesn’t even have to look at it.
A: The gagging fuel belching road burners will be with us until the roads are paid for.To use a gravity well devise to both propel and lift the mass of the vehicle is supposed to be a national secret.People just do not really seem interested in a vehicle that burns no fuel and has no wheels.I will pray for you.
Q: What are some options for electric or hybrid cars?
I was looking for buying a new car and have been wanting to get a new fuel efficient car. Since i drive a lot I will be needing some good fuel efficiency. But with my limited spending I was looking for some government programs and agencies that could help with purchasing a hybrid or electric car. But I have had no luck.
They are pretty expensive and was wondering if anyone found ways to get one for cheap. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you.
A: The best program I recently saw was federal incentives coupled with some car companies incentives to turn in your gas hog (less than 18 mpg) to something much more fuel efficient (5 commercial and 10 mpg more.) It sounds like up to a $9000 total. Not too shabby.
A number of years ago someone had their vehicle registered commercially and then put advertising on it. This would not be legal everywhere and there would certainly be limitations but it may be worth looking into.
I recently read about a couple that purchased an electric vehicle (Tesla roadster) to travel across the US. They were using it to raise money for charity. No doubt they did not pay full price for the vehicle. If you can come up with a similar plan you might find a less expensive alternative to an outright purchase.
Good luck to you and let me know how it works out.
Q: Electric and Hybrid cars are not that great?
Do people know that coal is burned to create electricity?
And that more toxic metals (compared to a regular car battery) are mined to create the large batteries in both Hybrids and Electric cars?
And that those batteries don’t last very long?
A: if you drive on the highway alot it is not worth it, because the batteries on most highbrid cars only are used until 75 km/h
Q: Is Hybrid Car and Electric Cars are really going to be Future as Success Story?
Electric cars and hybrid cars are need by us, but can they compete today’s cars like in Speed, Power, Comfort, Looks?
A: That’s the whole point of hybrids and electrics. It’s easy to make an electric vehicles fast and powerful, just difficult for it to have range. The first cars to reach 60mph were electric cars. You could easily put in a thousand horsepower electric motor into a car but the batteries would be depleted very quickly. We’ve been able to make gas cars with 50mpg plus back in 1982 which is still better than what the modern hybrids get but they lacked speed and power, the addition of an electric motor making the efficient cars hybrids is what gives the power and performance that the consumer wants.
We really don’t need hybrids and electric cars. We don’t even need so many cars. If we were willing to accept the lackluster performance of the 1982 econoboxes then why enhance the performance with an electric motor? If we want the flexibility to change the fuel source from fossil to something clean like solar by using electric vehicles then why don’t we just synthesize gasoline from CO2 and H2O with solar power? Synthesized fuels could even be carbon negative whilst an electric vehicle with solar generated electricity is at best carbon neutral
Ultimately, Hybrid and electric will be seen for what they are, marketing to create an additional market niche for new cars just like model years, tail fins, station wagons, minivans, SUV’s and Flex Fuel cars. Measures that would actually make a difference such as changing how we make the gasoline just doesn’t make the auto manufacturers any money.
Q: Are hybrid vehicles and electric cars the same?
I want to know if hybrid cars and electric cars are the same or are they different. If they’re different, explain how?
A: Both of these things refer to how the vehicle is powered but they are not the same. It does NOT refer to different fuels. That would be a flex fuel vehicle. It means different engines.
An electric car is powered only by one or more electric motors. The electric motor can get its power from a number of sources. An electric train or bus gets its power from an overhead line or from a special 3ed rail.
A battery powered electric car has the electricity stored in batteries. This vehicle will get all of its power from the batteries. The batteries must be charged from an outlet. You can even have fuel cells that make power for an otherwise electric vehicle.
But there is a special kind of hybrid where the engine does not drive the wheels. Instead it only makes electricity for the electric motor (with any extra amount going to batteries). This is a series hybrid. The proposed Volt is to be a series hybrid. You could plug in this vehicle for some power or you can get all the power from the fuel. But the wheels are driven only by electric motors.
Far more common just now are parallel hybrids. These vehicles have both an electric motor and another (usually gasoline) engine but here both of these engines can drive the wheels. Sometimes they do it together. The Toyota Prius is a parallel hybrid. An older Prius had no option to charge the batteries from an outlet. All the power comes from the fuel.
Hybrids have less of a battery capacity than a pure electric vehicle. Until recently you could not plug in a hybrid to charge its batteries. They had to get all their power from the engine. Now some are “plug in hybrids” In these vehicles you can charge batteries before you start out using an outlet.
A hybrid tries to take advantage of both engines strong points. An electric motor pulls well and is good in stop and go traffic. The gasoline engine is not so efficient but is currently better at going a long distance. A pure electric car will be pollution free in operation, more efficient and cheaper to operate but may not go as far on a complete charge.
Q: How do you feel about hybrid/electric cars?
I would like to know whether you have ever owned a hybrid/electric car and how you feel about them… Even if you have not had one before what are your views on them?
please also include your name, thank you (:
A: At best they are the baby step between gas power cars and electric cars, they really don’t save that much fuel and in some cases get worst fuel mileage then the gas powered equivalent.
At worst they are a waste of time and money. Money that would have been better spent building and researching better batteries.
Personally I take the second view, you have a vastly more complex car with little or no benefits, other than making people feel better about driving. You can get vastly better fuel mileage with less cost.
Q: What are the challenges of widespread use of Hybrid/Electric cars?
I need to know what the problem is of many people using hybrid electricity cars all over the world at once. please be honest. i reeaally need to now. your answer is much appreciated. thankyou.
A: Need to find ways to dispose of all the additional batteries.
Electric cars need to be charged. Unless everybody is charging the cars at night the countries electrical system cant handle the increased demand.
gerboaboy – Auto companies will do which ever is cheaper, more reliable, and easier to sell. If its electric then thats what they will use. Currently electric and hybrid cars cost more which is why they are less common.
Q: Why do car manufacturers make hybrid and electric cars ugly?
It seems as though most hybrid and/or electric cars built by the big manufacturers are very ugly to look at. Why is this? One could almost get the impression that they don’t want them to sell.
A: Your question doesn’t make much sense to me.
Most hybrids look identical to the non-hybrid model version. The only hybrid that looks different is the Prius, because it has no non-hybrid version, and is designed that way in order to make it the most aerodynamic car on the road, which is part of the reason it’s got the best fuel economy available.
The Civic hybrid looks like the Civic, the Explorer hybrid looks like the Explorer, the Camry hybrid looks like the Camry, etc. etc.
As for EVs, for one thing again they have to make them aerodynamic, and there’s not a big market for new technology anyway, so they’re trying to make the cars appealing by making them look ‘futuristic’ or ‘cool’. What you think is ‘ugly’ another person will think looks cool.
That being said, if you want a standard (some might call boring) looking EV, there is the Miles Javlon and Phoenix SUT:
http://www.milesev.com/index.asp#hsv.swf
http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com/index.php
Q: Does Anyone know where to get a hybrid electric cars?
Hey i was wondering about those electric cars they have now that run on a battery for like 12 hours. Gas prices stink!! so I’d like an alternative to gas and i hear they drive really well. thanks!
A: As of July 2008, plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles are not yet in production. However, Toyota,[3] General Motors,[4] Ford,[5] Chinese automaker BYD Auto,[6] California startups Fisker Automotive[7] and Aptera Motors,[8] and Volkswagen[9] have announced their intention to introduce production PHEV automobiles. The PHEV-60 BYD F6DM sedan and F3DM hatchback are expected in 2009;[10] the luxury Fisker Karma PHEV-50 sports car is slated for late 2009; and the Toyota Prius, GM’s PHEV-40 Chevrolet Volt and Saturn Vue and the Volkswagen Golf PHEV50km plug-ins are expected in 2010.[11][12] Conversion kits and services are available to convert production model hybrid vehicles to plug-ins.[13][14] Most PHEVs on the road in the U.S. are conversions of 2004 or later Toyota Prius models, which have had plug-in charging added and their electric-only range extended.
you can check with your local dealers on these
you can compare the top 5 hybrids here.
http://www.edmunds.com/apps/nvc/edmunds/VehicleComparison?styleid=100920075&maxvehicles=5&op=17&tab=printable
Q: Do hybrid cars and electric give you less power in cold weather and are more likely to stall after driving?
through a water paddle on the road? Do electric cars have a drive shaft running through the middle of the car comparment and give you more room?
A: A “stall” is a function of an internal combustion engine when it can’t maintain sufficient RPM to run. An electric car may not run but it won’t “stall.”
There are many ways to power an electric vehicle. Electric trains, trams, subways and some cars get their power transmitted to them by third rail, overhead wires or embedded in the roadway. These will be unaffected by cold weather. http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/cars-transportation/electric-highways-electric-cars-460909
Some cars make their own power with an IC engine and a generator (a series hybrid like the Volt), solar cells (solar car) or fuel cells (FCEV) The IC engine will be unaffected once it is started, the solar vehicle , and the fuel cell vehicle may experience problems with its power supply: http://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/review05/fc41_kim.pdf
Power may be stored on the vehicle in Batteries, ultracapacitors or flywheels. Flywheels and ultracapacitors are largely unaffected by cold weather. Battery chemistry is effected. Different battery chemistry will be effected to different degrees. In severe cold weather lead acid batteries may lose 1/2 their power. This is true to a lessor extent with other chemistry’s. http://www.lxe.com/uploadedFiles/pdf/White_Papers/wp_Li-IonBatteries.pdf
The electrical system of an IC engine may be shorted by water splashed from the road. The degree to which this effects electrical vehicles will depend upon how the critical components are shielded from the road. Unlike an IC engine far less heat is produced that requires an open bottom on the engine compartment. It is easier to seal an electric vehicle.
If an electric vehicle has wheel motors for power (Miev) then there is no need for a central hump on the interior. With a centrally located motor the drive train would continue to exist.
Q: Which branch of engineering works/research on hybrid or electric cars?
since hybrid & electric cars are combination of electronic and machanical parts & also a subject of automobiles, does auto engineers does all the work or there r hands of other engineer too?
A: The most applicable field would be electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering is also relevant.
Q: How do hybrid- electric cars work?
Would you buy gas, or plug it in. How does it all work? And what is the cost per month? Specifically honda civic.
A: There seems to be a great deal of confusion about Hybrid vehicles. Simply put, a hybrid vehicle has 2 power sources. It runs on a conventional gasoline internal combustion engine, as well as a nickel-hydride electric engine. Basically, when the car is first started, it runs entirely on stored battery power. Whenever the speed of the vehicle exceeds 20 mph, the gasoline engine automatically takes over for the weaker electric motor. When the vehicle drops below twenty again, the electric motor takes over. As you approach stoplights, the friction of the brakes power friction power generators mounted on the breaking mechanism, which recharges the battery. Also, whenever the car is being run on the gasoline engine, it also charges the batteries. Sounds like it would save a lot on gas right? Not really. The average Hybrid vehicles sticker price is $6000 more than its standard counterpart. Furthermore, those batteries have to be replaced every five years or so, the price of which can exceed $5000. So anything you saved on gas in that five year period, you just blew on replacing the batteries.
Also, one last note, the only time you really save a lot on gas is when you’re doing a lot of in town driving. So if that’s where you do most of your driving, expect to replace those batteries that much sooner.
Q: What is the main difference between gasoline powered and electric hybrid cars?
It’s for homework. Again, no stupid answers, please. Only want a straight answer.
A: A gasoline powered car has an internal combustion engine that provides the drive power for the car.
An electric hybrid has an electric motor that provides the drive power for the car. This is powered by batteries that are recharged by a gasoline powered electric generator. Hence the name “hybrid”. Also, when you slow down, the electric motor functions as a generator to help recharge the batteries.
This is as opposed to an electric car that you would plug in to a socket to recharge.
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