askthemercedesmechanic.com

In the market today, there are four main types of hybrid car: the micro, the mild, the full (also known as parallels) and the series (also known as serial or range extender). Micro Hybrid Car has electric motors which have no driving power. In micro hybrids, the electric motors supply functions like managing the engine to stop and start, auxiliary power and regenerative braking to charge the battery. This hybrid saves five to fifteen percent on fuel. Mild Hybrid Cars move from stationary only if the internal combustion engine is engaged. They also make use of the electric motor to assist the gas engine when additional power is required. The systems also support features like start and stop, and regenerative breaking. The Series Hybrids are electric cars with assistance from a small ICE (internal combustion engine). In these cars only the electric motor propels the vehicle. The engine drives an alternator. This alternator creates electricity which either flows to a battery for storage or it flows to the electric motor. If the car is running on batteries alone, the engine will turn on when they empty to a particular level and starts to recharge them. Advanced series hybrids are known as Fuel Cell Vehicles, when a separate power source produces the electricity that drives the motor, or alternatively it is deposited for later use.The full hybrid car can be driven by the electric motor or the engine separately or together. This is different to the micro and mild hybrids. This capability allows the driver to start driving the car using just the electric motor. The diesel engine and the electric motor provide different power levels. Full hybrids are also called parallel hybrids for the reason that the electric motor and the engine are joined in parallel to the same transmission. Full hybrids are likely to be more expensive because they require a more powerful motor and battery systemIn the next few years, a lot of the work done with hybrids in the vehicle market will be performed with mostly with mild and full types of hybrid cars. The definitive capabilities of the vehicle depends on many factors, including the strength and quality of the eclectic motor, the battery capabilities, the quality of the engine and the efficiency and the type of the fuel engine.