Hybrid Power
Why don’t hybrid car makers just run the gas engine to power a generator at constant speed? More efficient.
An internal combustion engine runs more efficiently at constant speed. If it was run to charge the batteries when needed, via a generator, it seems to me it would be much more efficient than today’s dual mode hybrids. This is essentially what diesel-electric locomotives do, and they get much better “gas mileage” than cars.
My understanding is that this IS how some hybrids work. At low levels of acceleration, the battery provides most of the work. It is when the car accelerates hard that the switch is made to use the gasoline engine. It is depends on whether the hybrid has a series or parallel configuration.
The hybrids key nitch is stop-and-go traffic. Without it, there are other compact cars that get better gas mileage. The electro-resistive braking is one of the best features of hybrids, because it takes kinetic energy and converts it to electro-potential energy. That means in light acceleration and light breaking traffic, a driver would use far less energy.
The engine in Toyota and some Honda hybrids are essentially high-end, high-efficiency generator engines. Engine acceleration is smooth (efficient) as the battery provides a good chunk of the energy in the beginning of the acceleration. Then the computer evaluates current draw, reserves, and current acceleration to set the engine speed. If you suddenly take your foot off the accelerator, the engine slowly revs down, sending the suddenly excess power to the battery.
Because of the large battery bank and computer management, hybrids are actually far more efficient for variable demand situations than a standard generator.
I don’t know much about diesel-electric trains, but diesel is almost always the better bet for mostly constant-rate driving, and gasoline is the best bet for highly variable-rate driving. I can see a line of logic for a bio-diesel hybrid car with a significant battery pack to further smooth out the highs and lows.
The link below might help you out.
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Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid RS850-SPHAD3-US ATX12V & EPS12V Power $172.99 Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid RS850-SPHAD3-US ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply |
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Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid RSD00-SPHAD3-US ATX12V & EPS12V Power $283.99 Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid RSD00-SPHAD3-US ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply |
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PylePro 2000 Watts Hybrid Pre-amplifier with AM/ FM Tuner $119.99 The Pyle Pro P2001AT is the perfect solution if you are looking for a high-fidelity preamplifier and a power amplifier all in one. This Receiver / Preamp features two sets of RCA inputs, RCA line-out for recording and RCA preamp out. |
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PylePro 1000 Watt Hybrid Pre-amplifier w/ AM/ FM Tuner $103.49 Crank up the sound on this PylePro hybrid pre-amplifier w/AM/FM tunerCar audio/video device has separate gain control for preamp and subwooferCar stereo amp has 1000 watts peak power |
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Hybrid G800 Women’s Inline Skates $65.99 Roller Derby’s Hybrid G800 offer a stylish and comfortable way to rideCam-Lever and Power Strap closure ensure a snug fit which allows improved heel and ankle supportBoots feature an external aerodynamic soft boot design |