While there is no question that hybrids are more fuel efficient than gasoline-powered cars, there are still many ways in which they can be improved and become an even better alternative to conventional vehicles. Various automakers are working on improving their hybrid technology, in an effort to improve the fuel economy of hybrid cars and increase their range. So far, their efforts have mostly been focused on improving battery packs, as well as electric motors, in addition to the regenerative braking systems, but lately, some companies and independent researchers have been working on other potential solutions, that have not been taken into consideration in the past, and could help reduce energy consumption.
One such solution involves installing an electronic system in hybrid cars, which is supposed to help divide use between the electric motor and the internal combustion engine in an optimal way, resulting in considerable energy savings. Researchers at the Chalmers University of Technology have developed a system that can log driving routes, so that it can suggest the ideal strategy for switching between the electric motor and the internal combustion engine.
The system can remember and store routes and locations, and send information to a server, which calculates exactly how much electricity and how much gasoline or diesel is being consumed during each trip, and determine when it’s best to use the battery, and when the engine should be activated. Thanks to this system, the vehicle can create patterns for optimal battery use, preventing battery drain.
“After each trip, the vehicle can upload driving statistics to a server that identifies recurrent routes and calculates an optimal strategy for the energy management. The strategy is transferred to the car. For the next trip, the car can either try to identify the route completely by itself or ask the driver to verify if any of the most common routes will be driven”, said Viktor Larsson from Chalmers University of Technology, who led the research and development efforts for this system.
He said that this strategy can provide energy savings of up to 10%, when compared to other methods for improving fuel efficiency. At first, the system will only be connected to a server, but in the future, it should be available for download onto smartphones as a mobile app, and drivers will be able to look at the battery use patterns on their mobile devices. The researchers made numerous simulations to test the system, using a Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid. Larsson said that it could be implemented on existing production vehicles.
In addition to this method developed by scientists from Chalmers University of Technology, there is another project that aims to improve fuel efficiency of hybrids. Toyota is developing new semiconductors for hybrid cars that will allow the car maker to build smaller and more efficient power control units, resulting in up to 10% better fuel efficiency. This significant reduction in energy consumption is a direct result of the fact that the new semiconductors are smaller and only consume a tenth of the energy that semiconductors that are currently in use need.