With the rise in the price of gasoline, more and more people are taking interest in electric vehicles as means of transport. Another major advantage of electrically operated vehicles is that these vehicles offer pollution free means of transportation. Therefore even if 70% of people start using an electrically powered vehicle, we will be free of global warming caused by emission of gases like CO and CO2. There will be almost no instances of cancer caused by pollution.
Electric vehicles are more energy efficient than the contemporary vehicles wherein the electric vehicles operates at approximately 47 percent of effectiveness, while a contemporary vehicle operates at about 19 percent only. There are studies that generally conclude that electric cars with batteries are approximately 12 to 35 percent more efficient with energy than the traditional cars which run on gasoline.
But the electric car which can truly replace a traditional car is still in the conceptual stage as the electric vehicle would need continuous electric power from the batteries. The major disadvantages of present day electric cars are the time period required for recharging the batteries and their limited range
Now, it has almost been a century since the electric car has been popularly discussed, but recent developments in the Hybrid Electric Vehicle technology and the growing concerns for the environment has revived the drive for an Hybrid Electric Vehicle and this has become a realization today
Due to this problem of recharging batteries, a new type of design conceptualized in the minds of researchers and they came out with a solution. The researchers have put forward a new electrical vehicle fitted with on board electric power storage system and means of generating power. The generated power would be stored in the storage system and would be used to drive the vehicle. This new type of vehicle is called Hybrid Electric Vehicle or HEV.
The present day storage system in HEV uses NiMH batteries and not the rechargeable nickel cadmium. Nickel cadmium batteries are usually bad for the environment, but the NiMH batteries that are used in Hybrid Electric Vehicle are totally recyclable.
Battery packs in Hybrid Electric Vehicles do not need to be replaced. Made to last over the lifetime of the vehicle, a Hybrid Electric Vehicle's warranty covers the battery for a time period that lasts between nine and ten years. In terms of mileage, a battery pack is expected to last between 125,000 and 200,000 miles, and would probably last longer than that.
In Hybrid Electric Vehicles the generating system consists of electric generator powered by internal combustion engine which runs on fuel. Hybrid electric vehicles are the definitive alternative fuel vehicles because their power is taken from the source fuels utilized to produce electrical power. Apart from that, the flexibility of the fuel alone can offer important beneficial and economic advantages especially in relation to a variety of available energy resources.
Researchers are optimistic about the performance of the hybrid vehicles. They are sure that the HEV will be more fuel efficient than the traditional vehicle powered by internal combustion engine.
With the progress of science and novel technological developments being introduced, transportation and vehicles have also been affected by these gradual technological changes positively. In the contemporary world, vehicles are the most significant means of communication making commuting across distant locations easier and less time consuming. It is necessary to note here that in recent times while the number of vehicles has grown considerably, increased carbon emissions and noise pollution have proved detrimental for the greenery and the environment has been badly affected because of its side effects. Moreover, they have also affected human health increasing the spate of respiratory problems as a rest of inhaling impure air. Therefore, the need of the hour is to ensure that transports and vehicles do not adversely affect the environment and at the same time are efficient in terms of functioning. In such cases, the hybrid vehicle has emerged as a very popular and useful mode of transport. The term hybrid vehicle denotes those vehicles which make use of two or more power sources. Hybrid electric vehicles or HEVs are such vehicles which are instrumental in propagating better fuel economy than traditional vehicles by making use of an on-board rechargeable energy storage system or RESS. A hybrid electric vehicle possesses electric batteries which are necessary to provide power to the electric motors and most importantly they have an internal combustion engine or ICE. However, in recent times it has also been noticed that certain hybrid electric vehicles make use of the combustion engine to produce electricity with the aid of an electrical generator which spins and this is useful in providing power to run the electric motor or in recharging the battery. Some other variants of the hybrid electric vehicles also can result in increasing the charge in their batteries by helping confine kinetic energy by means of regenerative braking.
The most prevalent components of the hybrid electric vehicles are gasoline engines derived form petroleum and many variations are possible in this respect by drawing in form various renewable energy resources. In case of diesel-electric hybrid vehicles, diesel engines are the ones put into use. These hybrid electric vehicles are very well known for their strength and durability and batteries are durable over long periods of time. Moreover, the beneficial effects in preventing pollution and its environment friendly nature have further facilitated its popularity. Plug-in Hybrid electric vehicles are the latest innovations which is capable of being charged form an electrical power grid.
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