Where does the electricity come from for Hybrid cars?

1. 66

   Lady Guinevereposted 10 years ago

   Where does the electricity come from for Hybrid cars?
   
   I am not talking about the plug.  I am asking about where the electric come from before it gets to the plug or socket that recharges your batter in your hybrid car. Is it the same way we get electricity for our homes and why we are trying to get off the grid?
   
   

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2. 77

   arksysposted 10 years ago

   a dynamo creates electricity for homes ... to run the dynamo you need some kind of energy to rotate it. dams are built so the flowing water becomes the energy to rotate the huge dynamo providing electricity for cities.
   
   the crank of the engine also creates a rotary motion. therefore if you attach a dynamo to the engine it will create electricity to run your house.
   
   mini dynamo's are used in the wheels of a vehicle. the engine rotates the wheels and the dynamo's in the wheel charge the battery. The battery charged by wheels are different to the main battery which is used to start the vehicle and run the electrical items in the car.
   
   an alternator which is linked to the crank using a rubber belt is used to power your vehicles main battery. the energy in the battery is used for dashboard/music system/lights etc. The alternator continuously charges your main battery and that is how you enjoy features in the interior.
   
   The current which runs in a vehicle is DC (direct current)... the current used in the house is AC (alternating current)... you need a device called an invertor to convert DC to AC before you can run any appliance at home.
   
   this is a simplified version of what exactly happens in a vehicle but it will give you an idea of how it all works.  hope it all makes sense.

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   1. 66

      Lady Guinevereposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      So this dynamo uses hydro energy?  and is converted to your house electricty that is ON the Grid? I saw something about solar being used to energize hybrid car batteries.  That is not on the grid. I am still a wee bit confused.

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   2. 77

      arksysposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      water turbines in dams are used to rotate a huge dynamo which creates the electricity to power the grid. Solar is not as efficient as "dynamo in the wheels" because if you park in the shade or in a cloudy patch of weather there is no charge built.

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   3. 66

      Lady Guinevereposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I meant that they are using thos solar panels on the electric outlet to supply the juice for the car when it is plugged in.  How cost efective is all this and is it worth it yet?

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   4. 77

      arksysposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electr … _home.html
      scroll to the bottom.
      
      estimated cost ON grid : $2.64 for 70 Miles
      
      will probably need 2x(127 Watt Solar panel) to cover for your 24Kwh vehicle battery. current price is $479 each.

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   5. 66

      Lady Guinevereposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thank You so very much.

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   6. 77

      arksysposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      glad to be of some assistance. tc.

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3. 86

   Larry Rankinposted 10 years ago

   It is my understanding most our electricity comes from dinosaur gas, mainly coal.

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4. 94

   MizBejabbersposted 10 years ago

   Your question was about hybrid cars, and the answer seemed to be about electric cars because the hybrid is not plugged into an electric socket to charge it. I can't explain it in technical terms of "dynamo", AC/DC, etc., but I can explain it in the layman's terms the salesman used to explain the hybrid car to me.  I drive a Toyota Prius hybrid car that uses a gasoline engine to generate the electricity to a large battery that runs the engine of the car.  If the usage is such that the large battery  starts getting low, the gasoline engine kicks in for more charge. This happens often for my car when I am in heavy traffic or the engine is under stress like going up a hill. It also kicks in when the car goes over a certain MPH, like on highway driving. The reason I use the term "big battery" is because, like a gasoline automobile, the hybrid also uses a regular-sized battery to run the starter and accessories. The gas tank is only 10 gals. Unless I make a trip out of town, I use about 1/3 of a tank of gasoline per week for my 25-mile round trip to work each day and for running around. I fill up about every two weeks. I would be happy to answer any specific questions if I can. I just love my hybrid and probably won't ever drive anything else.

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   1. 66

      Lady Guinevereposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thank YOU!!!!

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