Can Hybrid car run on fuel only?What happends when the battery dies?
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Yes, a hybrid of any sort (mild, plug in, etc) can operate without a battery since the motor acts as a generator for the system. It’s just like how a car can run off of it’s alternator without a battery (oversimplified do not try). This is only if one of the two batteries is disconnected. To go further, there is a high voltage and low voltage system. the high voltage relates to the drive components, and the low voltage relates to the standard electronics. If just the high voltage battery is removed, then the hybrid will run solely off of the low voltage system and the engine. But the circuit must still be connected completely, since without the High voltage battery there, there needs to be something bridging the gaps of the terminals, where the battery was. What I’ve just described is relevant to a hybrid like a Toyota Prius or Fisker Karma, where the electric motors are the only thing that drives the wheels.
In a car like a middle generation Honda Civic Hybrid, or a Honda Insight, the system is defined as a mild hybrid. That meaning that the electric drivetrain is in-line with the combustion drivetrain, and acts solely as an aid to the standard motor. This makes it possible to have a manual transmission in one of these types of cars, and also possible to run only on the combustion engine if the electric drivetrain fails.
In both cases the vehicle should operate to reasonable expectations, but nothing too extreme as the system is not being used as intended.
Also take this as only a base reference, as I am not ASE certified or qualified in any official way. I only am enrolled in an auto mechanics program, and have a fascination with mechanical systems that drives related research tangents. So if ANYONE finds something incorrect with what I said, please let me know, I’d love to correct my understanding.
I hope this helps some.
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