A plug-in hybrid uses a larger battery pack to allow the car to spend more time traveling on pure electricity, without switching on the gasoline engine. Some can travel up to 10 miles, at low speeds, using only the battery pack and electric motor.

Carmakers are preparing a handful of plug-in hybrids. Toyota will test a limited run of Prius plug-ins late this year, and Buick will release a plug-in hybrid crossover based on the 2011 Saturn Vue Two-Mode Hybrid in two years–the real action is among amateurs.

A very enthusiastic wave of garage converters and companies that cater to them has converted several hundred vehicles, mostly the Toyota Prius hatchback and Ford Escape Hybrid crossover. Prime among the activists is Calcars, whose website offers lots of info.

Now a new book has been released that offers to teach you everything you want to know about how to convert your existing hybrid to a plug-in. The author is Seth Leitman, who last year coauthored an updated version of the classic Build Your Own Electric Vehicle.

His new book, Build Your Own Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, is comprehensive but slightly disappointing. In part, that’s because book publishing takes way too much time. The field of PHEVs is evolving so fast that you can only find truly up-to-date information online.

In particular, the book’s list of conversion kits, sources, and background is now several months old. That’s a lifetime for a technology whose members exchange information and collaborate to solve technical problems in online forums (eaa-phev is just one of many).

We don’t want to overdo the criticism; the book has many pluses. Build Your Own Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle is a good basic summary of the basics, and its very comprehensive “Sources” chapter will let you access the very latest online.

We just wish it could have been a website, or an e-book, or something other than 320 pages of dead trees. But, that said, if you’re looking for a single source to learn all about PHEVs, this is a good place to start.

Source: GreenCarReports.com

The Original Post is Located Here: Want To Build Your Own Plug-In Hybrid?

Toyota Hybrid X Concept

China is one of the most polluted countries in the world. But they are not unaware of the ill effects of the excessive use of fossil fuels. They are paying attention to lessening the environmental effects of the poisonous gases. China is making rapid strides towards clean energy and investing considerable time and talent in new researches regarding green energy. They are working on a new type of internal combustion engine. Researchers in China are developing and using a new and more accurate computer model to assess performance of the free-piston linear alternator (FPLA).

This research regarding the FPLA, can lead to a low-emission, fuel efficient engine for future hybrid electric vehicles. Qingfeng Li and colleagues point out that the FPLA has only one moving part and its engine is such that it can generate electricity.

In the device, a piston in a cylinder shuttles between two combustion chambers. Permanent magnets are attached on the piston to generate electricity by passing through the coils of an alternator centered on the cylinder. The advantage of this particular engine is, it can work using various fuels. The engine can burn a variety of fuels, including natural gas and hydrogen. This type of engine can be advantageous in a future world of climate change and possible fossil fuel shortages.

Here the research team is depending heavily on a computer model. Their report explains development of a superior computer model to appraise performance of the FPLA and direct engineers in creation of the engine. Results of their preliminary simulations showed that the FPLA could speed up three times faster than other internal combustion engines. This will burn fuel in ways that diminish air pollution. “It is an environmentally friendly power source for the future,” the report concludes.

The Original Post is Located Here: Low-emission Engines for Future Hybrids