Manufacturing Processes
November 21st ,2018
Abstract
With the problems of climate change only increasing from year to year, several causes are linked to it. Among these causes, the high fuel consumption and air pollution emissions of fuel cars have a significant effect on the environment. In facts: ‘’Vehicles are America’s biggest air quality compromisers, producing about one-third of all U.S. air pollution.’’[1] That’s why the demand for hybrid cars, since their creation in the early 90s, has only increased. In this report we will discuss hybrid cars: the operations and charging methods, advantages, disadvantages and how they’re manufactured to know if it’s a good alternative for the future
Keywords: Environment impacts, hybrid cars, manufacturing, air pollution
Table of contents
1. What is a hybrid car………………………………………………………………………….. 4
2. Charging the hybrid car……………………………………………………………………… 4
3. Advantages of a hybrid car………………………………………………………………….. 5
3.1 Environmentally friendly………………………………………………………………… 5
3.2 Financial Benefits………………………………………………………………………… 6
3.3 Regenerative Braking system………………………………………………………….. 6
3.4 Higher resale value………………………………………………………………………. 6
4. Disadvantages of a hybrid car…….………………………………………………………… 7
4.1 Less Power……………………………………………………………………………….. 7
4.2 Can be expensive!……………………………………………………………………….. 7
5. Manufaturing………………………………………………………………………………….. 7
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………..…8
References……………………………………………………………………………………….. 9
1. What is a hybrid car?
A hybrid car is a vehicle powered by two distinct energy sources. A hybrid car has the traditional internal-combustion engine and an electric motor with a battery pack. It is important to distinguish between a hybrid and electric car. Unlike hybrid cars, which combine electric and thermal engines, electric vehicles do not have a combustion engine, and are therefore powered solely by an electric motor.
Figure 1: Hybrid Vehicle[2]
In addition, hybrid cars have a lower battery range than electric vehicles because their battery is smaller than the electric vehicles. They have a smaller motor (compared to regular fuel car) as well. Examples of hybrid cars nowadays are, Toyota Prius, Ford escape Hybrid, Honda Civic Hybrid…
2. Charging the Hybrid Car
Battery is charged using the gasoline-powered motor as a generator. As shown, in Figure 1, the motor is usually in front and the battery in the back of the car for space purposes. In fact: ‘’The vehicle’s momentum (kinetic energy) is turned it into electricity that recharges (regenerates) the battery.’’[3] Plug-in hybrid have larger battery than the usual hybrid car. They also have the option to charge by using an electric station instead of using the engine.
Figure 2: Electric Plug-in station[4]
Time to charge and the autonomy of the battery depends on the car model, so it would be wrong to give random data.
3.Advantages of a hybrid car
3.1 Environmentally friendly
A big advantage of a hybrid car is the reduced fuel consumption. In fact, a Yaris Hybrid consume around 5L /100km compared to 6,5L /100km for a non-hybrid Yaris.[5] The hybrid car reduces emissions that are harmful to the environment.
Figure 3: Annual Emissions per vehicle[6]
In figure 3, we can easily see that the gasoline car has around two times more annual emission that the hybrid or the plug-in hybrid car.
3.2 Financial Aspect
Among the actions taken by governments to protect the environment, another advantage of buying a hybrid car is to take advantage of government-sponsored bursaries to increase the number of hybrid and electric cars. In some cases, taxes are also removed from your bill when buying a new hybrid car. Finally, with the fuel price increasing every year, buying a hybrid car is a long-term investment because of less money spent on fuel.
3.3 Regenerative braking system
The regenerative system allows charging the battery by pressing the brakes. That’s why a hybrid car is ideal for city driving. The car starts using the battery and because of frequent stops in the city, it does not take time to recharge. However, in highways, the hybrid becomes like a gasoline-engine car (break is almost never applied so battery cannot be charged)
3.4 Higher resale value
Due to the raising price of gasoline and the strong growth in sales of hybrid cars, another benefit is the high resale value. Here is a concrete example. According to Alex Gutierrez, a senior market analyst for Kelly Blue Book, a 2012 Toyota Prius hybrid with about 15,000 miles holds about 63 percent of its original value, which compares to a 2012 Toyota Corolla with about 11,000 miles, which holds about 60 percent of its original value.[7]
4.Disadvantages of a hybrid car.
4.1 Less Power
Single gasoline motor car has more power than a hybrid car with a smaller gasoline motor. Indeed, because of the smaller engine, the hybrid car is not a powerful car and is not ideal for high speed and acceleration. Some electric car, such as Tesla are powerful using electric motor, however the main problem with the hybrid vehicle is that just like the small engine, they also have a small battery compared to electric cars. Moreover, this explains a smaller battery life.
4.2 Can be expensive!
In short term, hybrid cars can be expensive. Indeed, the price of the car can cost between 5k and 10k more compared to the standard model. In addition, they have a higher maintenance cost. The presence of dual engine and new technologies (continuous improvement), it’s difficult to find a mechanic with such an expertise that can repair the car, forcing the customer to see the dealer and pay more.
5. Manufacturing of Hybrid Cars
Hybrid Cars are
manufactured in much the same way other cars are.
An assembly line is used with, generally, a mass production where automated
machines do the work and the workers supervise. The main difference is the manufacture of the
battery.
Figure 4: Hybrid car manufacturing[8]
Hybrid batteries are large, rechargeable and they take a considerable amount of space. They’re made by specialty battery companies, like Panasonic and Sanyo, chiefly located in Japan. Most current hybrids use nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. However, some of the newest hybrids use the more advanced lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries.8
In brief, to make the lithium-ion battery, a lithium ingot is transformed to a small thin sheet. Machinery is then used to create cells from these sheets and regrouped together in a module by using a process called metalizing which create the lithium-ion battery.
6. Conclusion
To conclude, hybrid cars are gaining popularity every year, as shown in figure 5. The choice of a hybrid car depends on the need of each. Generally, the power costs more and can not be combined with paying less, but one thing is certain is that the hybrid car is the best combination of economy, investment and power.
Figure 5: Electric vs Hybrid Comparison[9]
REFERENCES
[1] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/green-guide/buying-guides/car/environmental-impact/
2 https://www.afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/how-do-plug-in-hybrid-electric-cars-work
3 https://www.thejournal.ie/difference-between-hybrid-and-plug-in-hybrid-vehicles-3579153-Sep2017/
4 https://gigaom.com/2011/03/28/why-a-plug-in-hybrid-car-could-be-a-game-changer/
5 https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-hybrid-cars.php
8 https://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/hybrid-technology/hybrid-cars-cause-pollution1.htm
9 https://gas2.org/2016/09/21/interest-electric-cars-increasing-cfa-report/
[1] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/green-guide/buying-guides/car/environmental-impact/
[2] https://www.afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/how-do-plug-in-hybrid-electric-cars-work
[3] https://www.thejournal.ie/difference-between-hybrid-and-plug-in-hybrid-vehicles-3579153-Sep2017/
[4] https://gigaom.com/2011/03/28/why-a-plug-in-hybrid-car-could-be-a-game-changer/
[5] https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-hybrid-cars.php
[6] https://www.quora.com/Will-all-cars-in-the-future-give-off-no-carbon-dioxide-so-we-can-stop-global-warming
[7] https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Hybrids-lead-the-charge-in-holding-sales-value-5769360.php
[8] https://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/hybrid-technology/hybrid-cars-cause-pollution1.htm
[9] https://gas2.org/2016/09/21/interest-electric-cars-increasing-cfa-report/
