How do hybrid cars work?
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Recently bought my wife a hybrid, Honda Jazz e:HEV Luxe.
It’s got a 1.5 litre combustion engine attached to a Constant Velocity Transmission. From what I understand, between those is an electric motor.
There’s a clutch assembly that can directly connect the petrol engine to the gearbox, this occurs at speeds greater than about 65kph. Supposed to happen at Highway speeds.
Below that speed the clutch engages to allow electric engine to directly drive the wheels. The petrol engine will periodically start and stop, acting as a generator for the battery.
At low city speeds it’ll run purely electric, which is different to many other hybrids where the electric engine helps the petrol engine but doesn’t run the gearbox primarily by itself.
The entire system is very clever in the way that it decides which engine should drive the wheels, when it’s the electric engine, the petrol engine will start and stop as mentioned previously and run at 2000rpm (its peak fuel efficiency and lowest noise) until the battery has returned to a specific level. It’s very odd to drive at first, you’re accelerating and braking and the petrol engine is just humming at the same constant speed, then shuts off completely.
When at aforementioned highway speeds, the petrol engine responds to the throttle as you’d expect any other petrol vehicle. The battery also charges in this state.
Here’s a review on YouTube.
Here’s the Honda UK explanation of all Hybrid types, ours specifically is FHEV.
https://www.honda.co.uk/engineroom/electric/hybrid/how-hybrid-cars-work/
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