How Hybrid cars work

When General Motors pulled the plug on its $1 billion electric car, it may have appeared that the auto industry was throwing in the towel on low-or-no-emissions vehicles.Deseret News

graphicHow hybrid cars operateRequires Adobe Acrobat.

Not so. In fact, the leading manufacturers are going after high mileage as never before, with vehicles that will provide a transition to the zero-emission electric car of the future -- one powered by non- polluting fuel cells.

Until fuel cell development progresses to the point that the hydrogen-processing energy source can be used in real-world cars, the middle ground remains hybrid technology, a combination of internal combustion gasoline engines with electric-motor backups.

Hybrid versions of the Honda Civic and Insight and models such as the Toyota Prius prove that high mileage does not mean wimpy power. Assisted by the electric motor, the hybrid Civic's 85-horsepower, 4- cylinder gasoline engine accelerates as briskly as much more powerful cars. When the car is cruising at a constant speed, the gasoline engine takes over, charging the batteries for the electric motor.

Unlike electric cars such as the GM EV1 designed to satisfy a California requirement that automakers sell zero emission vehicles, hybrids do not require a charging station and are not restricted to the range of the batteries, usually about 100 miles. Now that California has dropped its requirement that 10 percent of a car maker's sales be electric vehicles, GM is planning to park the EV1 in a museum after spending $1 billion in developing the commercial failure.

Meanwhile, in New York last month, the auto industry unveiled a fleet of new hybrids that bring the gas-electric technology further into the mainstream. Among the cars debuting at the New York International Auto Show were a hybrid version of Ford's Escape compact sport utility and a new generation Prius that grows from a compact to a mid-size car while offering even greater fuel economy of 50 miles per gallon.

More significantly, Ford announced that it was planning to use hybrid power in a big way in the upcoming Futura sedan that will replace the Taurus in 2005. Taurus, Ford's best-selling midsize family sedan, was for several years the best-selling car in America, overtaking the Honda Accord before yielding the top spot to the Toyota Camry.

Futura will use what Ford calls "full hybrid" technology that combines a large, 300-volt, nickel-metal-hydride storage battery that's capable of powering the car by battery alone and a 2.3-liter four-cylinder gas engine with a 65-kilowatt electric motor. Ford says the Futura will come with a manual transmission, an automatic transmission or a continuously variable transmission. Ford predicts fuel economy of 35 to 40 miles per gallon and says the hybrid will accelerate as aggressively as the 201-horsepower V-6 Escape.

Based on a Mazda platform, the Futura will bear a resemblance to the Ford 427 concept car and will also sell with standard 4-cylinder gasoline engines or 3-liter Duratec V6. Futura may not only bridge engine technologies but overlap somewhat with SUVs by offering three- row seating. The Escape Hybrid, already in production, will debut as a 2004 model, qualifying as a super low emissions vehicle.

Despite the frugality of its fuel consumption, the Escape Hybrid does not require Spartan tastes. The model displayed in New York featured 18-inch, 8-spoke alloy wheels, a new front fascia with an integrated stylized skid plate and circular fog lamps, quad headlamps and a silver honeycomb grille insert to match the silver lower body cladding. The Hybrid's interior is trimmed in light ivory leather with leather-and-sisal woven inserts in the seats and door panels.

The instrument panel shows when the SUV is in an electric-only mode, when the gasoline engine shuts off completely. A single liquid crystal display in the center console serves as a real-time "power path" visual indication of when the battery is charging, when the vehicle is recovering energy during braking, or if the electric drive is providing additional power. With room for five, the Escape Hybrid retains the cargo capacity and off-road capability of Ford's traditional and best-selling Escape. Additionally, the hybrid model is offered in front- and four-wheel-drive configurations.

The Escape Hybrid is one of several vehicles designed to revamp the Ford fleet in 2004. Along with the full-size Five Hundred sedan, Ford is introducing a new seven-passenger "crossover" vehicle called the Freestyle, along with a next-generation Mustang.

While hybrids will remain somewhat marginal sellers, industry executives see them as an important piece in the marketing puzzle, despite the fact that Congress appears unwilling to boost requirements for improved fuel economy.

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