The Japanese motor industry has been at the forefront of the electrification of the cars we drive every day. They can either be solely powered by electricity or hybrid, which is to say drive is provided by both an internal combustion engine with additional power from an electric motor. All the popular brands from Japan offer hybrids in various forms.
Plug-In Hybrid
Self-Charging Hybrid
This term describes a vehicle that can travel on electric power alone, but can't be mains-charged like a plug-in hybrid. They use one or more electric motors to assist the combustion engine, either petrol or diesel, and this aids performance when accelerating. Most hybrid cars can also be driven at low speeds and for short distances using electric power alone. The benefit of this is that fossil fuel consumption is improved and emissions reduced.
Self-charging hybrid cars are useful in urban or suburban areas, often driven slowly in traffic. In these circumstances it is entirely possible for the combustion engine to be inactive for long periods of time, saving fuel and helping to reduce air pollution. On faster roads the conventional engine will kick in for normal driving with far less reliance on electricity, although overall the cleaner performance is beneficial.
How Do They Work?
During operation some kinetic energy is recuperated from slowing down and braking and from the engine itself, during retardation for example, and this is used to charge the battery pack: Hence self-charging. It’s surprisingly effective. As the vehicle accelerates electricity from the pack powers the electric motor thus aiding performance and economy.
How the vehicle is driven makes a difference. Keep roaring around and the driver won’t notice much difference. That’s why a certain style of driving is recommended to make the most of this. When enough charge is in the battery pack, most hybrid vehicles can pull away just using electricity and travel for a short distance at low speeds, as described above. This means that no fossil fuel is used at all. Driven in line with manufacturers’ instructions, many self-charging hybrids can accomplish higher mileage per gallon of petrol than their conventional counterparts.
A more recent edition to the ranks of hybrids car is the so-called ‘mild-hybrid’. These cars come with a starter-generator rather than with a conventional starter motor. They can idle for longer, say at traffic lights, without the engine and can allow for coasting, shutting the engine down briefly when cruising gently, thus saving on fuel. What they cannot do is drive the car on electricity alone.
If fully electric cars do not appeal or are impractical, the self-charging hybrid may be the solution to cleaner motoring. Here at MHH Japanese Cars we have hybrids available from Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Subaru and others. Get in touch to find out more.
