Thread: What's the difference between electric cars and hybrid cars?

basically, how do theyr motors work and why

If I put a gasoline engine on a bicycle it could be called a HYBRID vehicle.

It the motor can operate in such a way that I can also pedel the vehicle while the motor also turned the wheels it might be called a PARALLEL HYBRID beause both my feet and the motor are contributing to the power directly.

If on the other hand the motor were positioned in a way to jack up my seat giving me some mechanical advantage it might be called a SERIES HYBRID because one power source is feeding into the other which drives the wheels.

In neither of these examples is there an electric motor. A hybrid vehicle does not have to be electric. But there are many advantages to putting an electric motor in a vehicle either as a series hybrid or a parallel hybrid. Motors and generators are very similar. Work applied to a motor can make it act like a generator. This is convient for making the wheels drive the motor as a generator. This not only brakes the vehicle but can recharge batteries. Overall it makes for a more efficient vehicle.

Other reasons for making a hybrid is to take advantage of the strengths of each vehicle. An electric motor is about 90% efficient and has all of it's torque from a standstill. This makes it a good motor to start the car rolling. A gasoline engine is only about 15% efficient through a normal drivetrain and it needs to be up to speed for it's full torque. This can be raised to about 30% without a drivetrain. If the gas engine is used as a generator in a series hybrid the drivetrain can be eliminated and the motor can run where it is most efficient.

An electric vehicle can somehow "make" it's electricity as in a fuel cell vehicle, a vehicle with solar pannels or an electric vehicle with a generator attached. Some of these might be considered a series hybrid. It can store the electicity onboard in a battery or it can have the power transmitted to it as is the case with subways and trams. There is an electric motor that drives the car in each case.

A parallel hybrid is a different animal. It can have two different ways to drive the car. Two different systems in parallel.