technizzel

All throughout the country, gas prices are still climbing to numbers that seem to unhinge wallets, yet jaws even wider. Car advertisements now highlight gas mileage efficiency rather than the quality of steering and handling. Thus, the era of the Hybrid has begun, and with it, revolutions in saving power and energy have become the forefront innovations in recent cars. As hybrids rely primarily on the battery, recharging this mechanism to exhume the maximum power is vital to prolonging the existence of this car. One such way is via the braking system.

Everyone is quite familiar with the concept of friction, a force that resists the direction of motion and reduces the force causing that motion. Now the braking system of most hybrids transfers the torque from the wheels into the motor shaft through chains and gears. The electric motor inside, maintains the ability to convert electric energy into mechanical (normal) as well as mechanical energy, such as heat, a byproduct of friction, back into electric (regenerative). Located on the shaft of the motor, also known as a rotor, are magnets that move past electric coils on the stator, the stationary part of a motor. This creates electricity which is delivered to the battery in the form of electrical energy. In laymen’s terms, this process is defined as turning the electric motor backwards to convert the mechanical energy into electric energy. The regenerative nature of the braking system and the conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy are very efficient processes and contribute to saving the car’s power.

And although the process rests on the good principle of recycling, Bradley Berman, editor of hybridcars.com, says, “Actually, the batteries are charged most of the time by the electric motor, powered by the gas engine and functioning as a generator. Only about 30% of the braking energy is regenerated. The rest is wasted as heat. Regenerating the braking energy accounts for perhaps 10% of the total used to recharge the batteries, unless one is driving downhill and braking most the time.”

In a full hybrid car, two forces work together to recharge the battery in addition to the regenerative braking system. The mighty combination of an electric motor and an internal-combustion engine power the vehicle, in which the engine keeps the battery charged. If Mr. Berman is correct, as much of the world’s driving population will not be driving downhill or braking often, then these two parts provide for a better electrical source than the transfer of kinetic energy.

Currently, the cost of replacing such a battery is an amount not yet fathomed, as most are still under warranty. Yet as the hybrid becomes a popular car of the decade, sporting styles and comforts to meet the rigid requirements of teens and save-the-world patriots alike, the fuel-efficient car is sparking ingenuity in the automotive industry today. Perhaps as years persist and the hybrids go from luxury to necessity, the technologies for recharging this battery will extend not only from the brakes but any system involving a mechanical-electrical operation.

Video link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Kogz4wedwtk

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 31st, 2007 at 4:44 pm and is filed under Automotive, Global Warming, Mechanical Engineering. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.