Frequently
Asked Questions

What is a hybrid electric vehicle?
Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) combine an internal combustion
engine along with a battery and electric motor. This combination
results in improved fuel economy and lower emission compared
to conventional gasoline powered vehicles.
How does a hybrid electric vehicle work?
Hybrid Electric
Vehicle (HEV) combine an internal combustion engine along
with a battery and electric motor. The electric motor assists
the gas engine during starting up, idling and accelerating
up to 15 mpg, then the electric motor is shut off and the
gas engine engaged at a higher speed. This combination decreases
the use of gasoline and emission, therefore result in better
gas mileage than most conventional vehicles.
No. Current
hybrids performs as well as their non-hybrid counterparts.
Most hybrid vehicles can achieved greater than 100 mph maximum
speed, which is more than sufficient for most people.
Is hybrid vehicle more expense than non-hybrid?
Hybrid vehicles
are generally a few thousand dollars more than their non-hybrid
counterparts, however you will save a lot of money in gas,
not to mention helping the environment at the same time.
Do
hybrids need to be plugged in to recharge the battery?
No. The high voltage battery
for the electric motor will be recharged during normal use.
Recharging occurs during braking and coasting the forward
energy are converted into electricity and recharge the battery.
Can
you drive a hybrid in very cold weather?
In general all battery decrease
efficiency at a lower temperature, but most hybrid cars
used thermal management systems to overcome this issue and
can be recover quickly when the car is turned on. Once the
hybrid battery pack reaches normal operating temperature,
there should not be any performance issue.
Can
you drive a hybrid in very hot weather?
While
driving in any hot climate may be harder on any vehicles,
most hybrid vehicles does not appears to be affected by
the heat as worse as any other conventional vehicles. Many
hybrids have been driven in southern part of the U. S like
Florida, Texas or Arizona without any problem. The high
voltage battery pack on hybrid cars have thermal management
systems built in to protect it from heat, and will be shut
off when it gets too hot.
The
high voltage battery used in the HEV is expensive to replace,
but luckily they are designed to last for the lifetime of
the vehicle. Most manufacturers warranty covers the batteries
for between eight and ten years, so one can expect the real
failure rate will be much longer beyond that. In fact,
according to Toyota, they have not replaced a single battery
pack for their Prius since it went on the market back in
2000.
E85 is a blend of 85% ethanol
and 15% gasoline. Ethanol is a derivative from corn and
is touted as a way to reduce dependency on foreign oil while
also helping to reduce greenhouse emissions. Most cars can
run on a 10% ethanol blend (E10), but use of E85 is only
recommended in vehicles especially designated as flexible
fuel vehicles (FFV).
What are
some of the common acronyms used on hybrids and other alternative
fuel vehicles?
-
HEV (Hybrid Electric
Vehicles) - Used combination of conventional gasoline
engine and high voltage electric battery. Currently
the most widely used hybrid vehicles.
-
TLEV (Transitional
Low Emission Vehicles) - This is the least stringent
emissions standard in California. TLEVs are phased out
as of 2004.
-
LEV (Low
Emission Vehicles) -
All new cars sold in California
starting in 2004 will have at least a LEV or better
emissions rating.
-
ULEV (Ultra
Low Emission Vehicles) -
ULEVs are 50% cleaner than
the average new model year car.
-
SULEV (Super
Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) -
SULEVs are 90% cleaner than
the average new model year car.
-
PZEV
(Partial
Zero Emission Vehicle) -
PZEVs meet SULEV tailpipe
emission standards, have zero evaporative emissions
and a 15 year / 150,000 mile warranty. No evaporative
emissions means that they have fewer emissions while
being driven than a typical gasoline car has while just
sitting.
-
AT PZEV
(Advanced
Technology PZEVs) -
AT PZEVs meet the PZEV requirements
and have additional "ZEV-like" characteristics. A dedicated
compressed natural gas vehicle, or a hybrid vehicle
with engine emissions that meet the PZEV standards would
be an AT PZEV.
-
ZEV
(Zero
Emission Vehicles) -
ZEVs have zero tailpipe
emissions are 98% cleaner than the average new model
year vehicle. These include battery electric vehicles
and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
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