12/31/2020
THIS ARTICLE IS AN EXCERPT FROM MY NEW BOOK What You Really Need to Know About Electric Vehicles - available on Amazon - see details http://www.kilowattkars.com/books
Free to a good home - battery electricity
Or - How the PHEV maximizes efficiency.
Remember the PHEV has two energy and motive power sources on board. The ICE powered by gasoline and the electric motor powered by stored electricity in the battery.
On a flat highway, the most efficient energy source is usually gas. If the car encounters a hill the MCU (Master Control Unit) will assess whether the work required by the gas engine to climb the hill remains the most efficient.
If not, the electric motor will be enabled to provide additional power to complete the climb. This joint effort maximizes the ICE's efficiency by reducing its workload and the extra gas consumption that would have resulted without the motor's help. During this process, some battery energy will be consumed.
Once the climbing effort is complete, the car will again assess the power/energy requirements. If it is determined that the electric motor's assistance is no longer required, it will be turned off.
And here is part of the hybrid magic.
The ICE will activate its generator capabilities and replace the battery energy consumed during the joint hill-climbing process.
Note: Salespeople often try to discourage PHEV buyers (usually in favor of ICE only alternatives) by saying that the battery range (typically 30 - 80km (18-50 mi based on brand) is useless because it is so short.
Actually, most North American drivers travel about USA 32 mi and 45 km in Canada daily, which is within the capabilities of many PHEVs on battery only.
And don’t forget, based on the story above, some battery consumption may well be replaced, and additional energy may also be recovered by the regen braking process. (more on this later). So, if you had 18 mi (30 km) of range and used 3 mi (5 km) to climb the hill, that 3 mi (5 km) will be replaced, effectively increasing the total battery range for the day (so far) to 21 mi (35 km) and not 18 mi (30 km).
In many applications, the ICE is switched off when the car is slow or stationary, thereby reducing curb-side emissions and fuel consumption.
While in a combined application, the engine and the motor run at a synchronized speed.
But wait, there’s more…
One of the other advantages which attracts many buyers to PHEVs is the reduction of "range anxiety" (the fear that they will run out of battery charge while on the road), which is a common concern when considering a fully electric car.
The ICE's presence provides a level of confidence that such an event will not occur because, just as with ICE cars today, fuel is typically readily available while public charging may not be.
Many potential BEV buyers are environmentally conscious consumers; they would like to completely eliminate carbon emissions from their driving activities. For a variety of reasons, including range anxiety, the decision is a little more complicated.
For example, for single-car families with varied local and long-distance driving activities, a PHEV may be a necessary alternative providing both electric-only local driving and efficient hybrid processes while on the road.
