General Disclaimer:   (HV) (DC) injury or death hazard,   use at your own risk,   may void warranty.

Blended mode

From My wiki
Revision as of 05:25, 24 February 2006 by Rjf (talk | contribs) (Initial Page)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

See Also: WikiPedia:Mixed-mode

Mixed-mode is a mode of opperation of a WikiPedia:Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in which a portion of the motive energy is supplied by the electric portion of the system who's batteries are recharged from an external source. To contrast WikiPedia:battery electric vehicles use only WikiPedia:electricity as their fuel source, while existing WikiPedia:hybrid electric vehicles use only gasoline for fuel. Both types use WikiPedia:regenerative brakeing to recapture WikiPedia:kinetic energy, this should not be considered a fuel source but rather an effeciency aspect of these types of WikiPedia:electric vehicle powertrains not found in traditional ICE vehicles without regen. Mixed-mode uses both gas and electricity as fuels and as such reduces the ammount of gas used while displacing it with electricity. In such a mode of opperation the gas mileage might be measured as double or more the mileage had only gas been used, but one should not forget to consider the amount of electricity which was used, normally measured in kWh. Since the electric energy stored onboard is substantially less than that of a tank of gas, typically less than 1/4 gallon equivilant, the mixed-mode range might also be reported as the distance that the available battery capacity can sustain such a mode. Of course driving conditions and speeds would effect the mileage and range just as it does a traditional ICE vehicles gas mileage. Such vehicles would also have unlimited range so long as a supply of gas were available and be able to opperate as a gas only vehicle with normal mileage if not recharged, which wouldn't be required. Most vehicles would also have some ammount of pure electric only range, and BEV's using WikiPedia:pusher trailers or WikiPedia:genset trailers can conversely give those vehicles unlimited range on gas as well as mixed-mode range.

Some early non-production WikiPedia:Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle conversions have been based on the version of WikiPedia:Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) found in the 2004 and 2005 model year WikiPedia:Toyota Prius. Early PbA conversions by CalCars have demonstrated 10 miles of ev-only and 20 miles of double mileage mixed-mode range. A company planning to offer conversions to consumers named EDrive systems will be using Valence Li-ion batteries and have 35 miles of electric range. Both of these systems leave the existing HSD system mostly unchanged and would be similarly simply to apply to other hybrid powertrain flavors. Simply replacing the stock NiMH with a higher capacity WikiPedia:battery pack and of course a charger to refill them for about $0.03 per mile from standard household outlets. Though the WikiPedia:Honda WikiPedia:Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) systems does not have low speed electric only abilities mixed-mode mileage could be greatly enhanced while displacing some of their gas consumption with electricity from external sources. The WikiPedia:Advanced Hybrid System 2 (AHS2) could be offered with additional battery capacity and charging capabilities as an option, costing about $3000 if offered by the manufacturer. Though there are no plans to do so, this could prove an oppertunity for WikiPedia:General Motors and WikiPedia:DaimlerChrysler's to overtake others who presently dominate the hybrid market by delivering a markedly more versitile and fuel effecient Hybrid.