Are hybrid cars really so much more environmentally friendly?

Question

Speaking to a man who held a phd in Environmental impcat of Industry, I was given the impression that there is a 'hidden' impact of Hybrid cars that is overlooked.

He suggested that some of the reduction in CO2 emissions from the car is ofset by the carbon dioxide produced when generating electricity in power stations. It made sense to me...is this fair, or should I really be looking into a Hybrid car to do my part?

Answer 1

hybrid cars available today do not use grid elctric.

Your "man" is probably looking for a lucrative job in the US or the motor industry or doesnot understand the laws of theromdynamics or the physics of electric vs infernal combustion when applied to traction.

simply the bigger the energy converter the more efficient, ie a 660MW generator set at a powerstation constantly monitored and running at optimum speed, temperature and load is way more efficient than a small car motor mostly running cold, maintained once a year, at non-optimum speed and load, sitting idling in traffic etc.

Factor in the impact of transportation and refining of oil to the car vs Powerstations designed to use unrefined fuels, or renewable energy, and then distribute direct to home or work via a very efficient national grid.

Hybrids are more efficient than pure petrol because electric motors can re-generate electric when braking or going down hill, they switch off when stationary, electric motors produce maximum torque at 0 rpm. The Toyota Prius petrol motor only operates at preset rpm/loads for max efficiency, with spare power recharging the batteries.

The Prius batteries are NiCAD which are fully recyclable.

Far better are pure electric cars, a much more enjoyable driving experience, and will outperform most fossil monstrosities, eg the Tesla built by Lotus in Norfolk,http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php?js_enabled=1
They recon £2000 of solar pannels would be enough to keep it charged.
(but no mention on our stupid Top Gear mentality media; nor of the Bluebird that should do 350-400mph but can't get sponsors, when they put their presenters in a slower jet powered car)

recharge at home or work, >250 miles per charge with current Li-ion batteries (nono-technologies give
them a life of 15,000 charge cycles or 40 years); £0 road tax; £0 congestion charge; £0 parking and charging in Westminster; no noise, no smell ...

electric cars are just better in every way (but since no manufacturer currently sells real evs in UK - GM actually took bak all GM EV1s from very satified customers and crushed them, see film "who killed the electric car" - I have settled on a Prius as the most ev like driving experience available, it is just less stress)

Answer 2

Hybrid cars do not use any electricity from power stations, they make all their power with the engine in the car. It is just more efficient to use the gasoline engine to run a generator to run electric motors to turn the wheels instead of directly coupling the gasoline engine to the wheels with a transmission. It is because gasoline engines only run efficiently at one RPM, and a transmission only has a few set gear ratios, so most of the time the engine is not running at peak efficiency. In a hybrid, the engine runs at peak efficiency all the time, and if there is extra power being produced, it is stored in batteries. If the batteries are all charged up and there is still extra power, the gasoline engine shuts down for a while. So the car gets better mileage and there is reduced emissions.

Answer 3

hybrid cars are a fashion and a marketing gimmick

you can look at specs to check this, and you'll find that many a non-hybrid, diesel-powered small car, such as those sold by big brands in Europe, performs a good deal better than the best hybrids.

and clearly, if you're talking about a hybrid that needs to be recharged at a power outlet, then it will, ultimately, require electricity from a power station, and most of these produce CO2.

Answer 4

Hybrid cars are just like regular gasoline powered cars except they have a mechanism that recaptures energy usually lost during braking and slowing down, stores that energy in a battery, and later uses that energy for running the car. At no point is a hybrid actually plugged into a wall so there is no hidden CO2 emission from a power plant somewhere.

(I recommend the Toyota Prius.)

Answer 5

Mmmm, comparing the prius and Lupo is like comparing apples and pears. The Prius is a much larger car than the Lupo, which is a bit of rollerskate on steroids really. A much more useful comparison would have been with a diesel of similar size and weight.

BTW, the lead-acid batteries used in the battery packs of the Prius are recyclable (our local council has been collecting lead-acid batteries for a number of years now).

Answer 6

The Hybrid cars available today are a CHEAT and a FEEL GOOD soulution because they are not true hybrids.

A REAL hybrid uses the engine to drive a CHARGER at constant speed or drives an alternator to electric motor DIRECTLY. Your RAILROAD LOCOMOTIVE is a good example of a TRUE hybrid and shows that the technology works.

The true hybrid would have wheel motors that use regenerative braking. You can get MASSIVE acceleration by adding a battery pack to the works. The diesel/gasoline motor/alternator would charge the battery pack and drive the wheel motors

The ELECTRIC sportscar with MASSIVE acceleration:

http://www.teslamotors.com/

Answer 7

So that nobody gets the wrong idea: I like "low fuel consumption" and especially I like "electric vehicles". Having said that, here are some simple facts: 1. Diesels (without hybrid drive) are just as efficient as "Hybrids". Say as efficient as the "Prius". Trouble is, the US does not have enough Diesel refinery capacity. We have not commissioned a new refinery, for either gasoline or Diesel since 1976/ 1979. I.e. we talk politics and "hybrid", lest US consumers wish for super-efficient European Diesel cars to be imported.. Especially noteworthy: America does not have sufficient refinery capacity for "clean" (low sulphur) fuel. That is the stuff which is mandated for air quality reasons in Europe for their Diesel passenger cars. At this time we import not only 6% of our refined gasoline, but also a major percentage of all diesel fuel. 2. The Prius fuel consumption "stinks" if driven hard, or in the mountains. Reason, the battery is too small, i.e. if driven hard the Prius runs just like a regular gasoline powered vehicle. Admitted, you do not hear this often: Prius owners do not usually "street race" their cars. 3. Nickel (as in NiMH) is expensive. This is one reason, why we try to keep the battery small. Also, NickeI is not exactly "healthy" and requires complex recycling. 4. Fuel consumption when driving below 45mph is essentially proportional to the weight of the vehicle. Translation: Big NiMH batteries, i.e those big enough for an efficient hybrid vehicle are enormously heavy -- compare that to two extra passengers in the small trunk. 5. Because "heavy" = "not fuel efficient", we should get rid of heavy vehicles (SUVs, especially the truck-based "Monstrosity -- Ltd. Edition". "Heavy" however, is where Detroit makes the most money. Also, big psychological barrier for marketing lighter and smaller vehicles: Heavy vehicles provide the best crash protection.. "if it were my daughter, the "V-10 Brawny Special" is the informed father's choice.." 6. The other thing they do not tell you when you buy a hybrid is: Did you know, it is electric.. I.e. with "high voltage" and enough energy stored in the battery to melt through steel. This thought unpleasant enough to disturb the nighttime sleep of more than one First Responder. Especially, when he finds the thing 'parked' in a pond, or sparking like a cat's whisker as he approaches a crashed hybrid vehicle. By the same token, try "Joe's Repair and Towing" if your hybrid vehicle needs service. ----------- PS: Sorry, I forgot to actually answer your question. Assume gasoline savings of 25% for the pure hybrid technology. Hybrid Technology works by making a smaller than usual engine run at its most efficient speed. The engine is running most of the time near that speed, regardless of the vehicle's speed. I.e. when you stop at a traffic light, the engine generates "unneeded" electricity which is stored in the battery. Later when you need extra "umph" for an uphill stretch, you can take an energy boost out of the recently charged battery. (Note, the gasoline engine does not have to rev up for that.) The "hybrid" concept is not without problems. Example, if the battery is too small, then half way up a long hill, you might loose the "battery assist". You are left in this situation with only, what the small gasoline engine can do on its own (see above para 2). This might be dangerous, e.g. if the intent had been to pass an 18-wheeler.

Answer 8

It is the same thing as having a regular car, but instead of wasting energy when you brake you will actually turn that kinetic energy into electric energy. Hybrids do not produce less emissions then regular cars they just simple use a combination of electricity and gas to give you more miles thus wasting less gas thus emitting less emissions...(= get it. -_-...

Answer 9

If you have to use a car then it is way better to buy a second hand yet efficient small engined car, preferably a diesel. There are way too many cars on this planet, and we really don't need to be making anymore.

Better still use public transport, or even walk or get a bike.

Answer 10

I think youre getting electric cars confused with hybrids.
Electric cars need a charge which means having a power station handy that will be producing CO2.
Whereas a hybrid, can charge itself when the fueled engine is running, regenerate during breaking and not pollute at all when sat in traffic.