Hybrid or All-Electric? Essay Example

Hybrid Vehicles: Hybrid-electric vehicles use both a gas engine and an electrical motor. Hybrid-electric vehicles can be configured for different objectives. For example, it is possible to configure a hybrid-electric vehicle to get increased fuel economy or increased power. The energy from the motor of a hybrid-electric vehicle turns the wheel of the electric motor, acting as a generator. The hybrid-electric vehicle is capable of converting energy that is normally wasted into braking and coasting back into power that is stored in the battery. The electric motor can also provide additional power to the engine of the vehicle in acceleration and power take off situations. Alternatively, the electric motor generally takes over in city driving, where the gas powered engine is the least effective. Even more interestingly, the hybrid-electric vehicle has an optional automatic off feature that turns the engine off rather than idling the engine which wastes energy. The different components of a hybrid-electric vehicle are the battery, the gas engine, the electric motor, the generator, and the power split device.

There are two types of hybrid vehicles: full hybrid vehicles and mild hybrid vehicles. Full hybrid vehicles can run both the gasoline engine and the electric motor to operate at the same time. The full hybrid can use the gasoline engine to power the electric motor, recharging the battery or it can use the gasoline engine and the electric motor to power the wheels at the same time. On the other hand, the mild hybrid vehicle uses the electric motor mainly to boost the performance of the gasoline engine.

Another type of hybrid vehicle is the plug-in hybrid. The plug-in hybrid is similar to the other types of hybrid vehicles except for the fact that it can be plugged in to fully charge the battery of the vehicle. The plug-in hybrid is a sort of bridge between hybrid-electric vehicles and all electric vehicles.

Although regular vehicles have car batteries as well, hybrid-electric vehicles have much larger batteries that are equipped to store more energy for the vehicle to operate. In comparison, the hybrid-electric vehicle has a smaller engine, due to the fact that the electric motor supports the gas engine, allowing for a smaller and more efficient engine.

All Electric Vehicles: All electric vehicles run solely on electricity. The all electric vehicle has no gas engine to fall back on in times of need. All electric vehicles have at least one electric motor and at least one rechargeable battery.  All electric vehicles convert between 59%-62% of the electrical energy delivered from the batteries to the wheels. In comparison, a gas powered engine only converts approximately 17%-21%. All electric vehicles have zero carbon emissions, and if the factory where the vehicles are manufactured are powered by wind power, solar power, nuclear power, or hydro-power, the factory does not have any greenhouse gas emissions either. All electric vehicles have a quiet, smooth ride and provide a powerful take-off. Electricity is also not an imported resource, thus all electric vehicles reduce energy dependence on other nations.

Gasoline vehicles (including hybrid-electric vehicles) can go over 300 miles before needing to refuel. All electric vehicles can only go approximately 100-200 miles before needing to recharge, and that is assuming a recharging station is easily found. Also, the disadvantage of having to wait while the vehicle recharges is a very real concern. To completely charge the battery, it can take anywhere between 4 and 8 hours. Even to perform a quick charge on the vehicle can take up to 30 minutes. The battery packs in all electric vehicles are also cost-prohibitive and may need to be replaced more than one time and the batteries also take up a lot of space in the vehicle.

Comparing and Contrasting: When comparing hybrid-electric vehicles, one must take into account the needs of the consumer. If the consumer is the type of person that does not ever make long trips, an all-electric vehicle may be a good choice for them. However, if the customer is the type of consumer that enjoys taking road trips, the all-electric vehicle is probably not a good option for the consumer. If the customer is very environmentally conscious, an all-electric vehicle may be the correct avenue for that consumer. The advantages of an all-electric vehicle are that there are no greenhouse gas emissions at all, the ride is quiet, smooth, and powerful, and it reduces the energy dependency of our country. The disadvantages of an all-electric vehicle are the decreased driving range, the time needed to recharge the batteries, and the risk of running out of power and being stranded on the side of the road—after all, nobody can bring you a gas can full of electricity.

In the case of hybrid-electric vehicles, the consumer does not have to plug the vehicle in to recharge it—they need only fill the tank with gasoline as they would for any other gas powered vehicle. The hybrid-electric vehicles also have the gasoline engine to fall back on in times of need. This eliminates the risk of being stranded on the side of the road without a way of getting your vehicle home save a tow truck.

The disadvantage of the hybrid-electric vehicle is that although the fuel economy is greatly improved, the vehicle still uses fossil fuels and leaves a carbon footprint. The hybrid-electric vehicle also still has a gasoline engine, which, in times of use is louder than the electric motor.

Of course, the best of both worlds is the plug-in hybrid. The plug-in hybrid has a gasoline engine to fall back on in times of need, so it will not leave the driver stranded on the side of the road. It has a plug so that it can fully charge the batteries and increase the fuel economy. In short, the plug-in hybrid allows the consumer to have their cake and eat it too.

Works Cited

Dunn, C. (2007, August 9). Hybrid-Electric Cars: How They Work, Battery Technology and More. Retrieved from Treehugger: http://www.treehugger.com/cars/hybrid-electric-cars-how-they-work-battery-technology-and-more.html

Energy, U. D. (2015). All Electric Vehicles. Retrieved from FuelEconomy.gov: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/evtech.shtml

Energy, U. D. (2015). Hybrid Electric Vehicles. Retrieved from FuelEconomy.gov: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/hybridtech.shtml

Energy, U. D. (2015). Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles. Retrieved from FuelEconomy.gov: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/label/learn-more-PHEV-label.shtml