Exploring more miles
Series Hybrid Electric Vehicle systems
They use two power sources linked together, with only one source directly connected to the vehicle’s transmission. A small ICE is used to power a generator that converts the energy to provide electric power to the vehicle’s wheels and auxiliary devices as well as to a battery system and/or capacitor(s).
Series hybrid vehicle advantages
When compared to the parallel hybrid design, series hybrid systems achieve better fuel efficiency and emission reductions. Parallel hybrid vehicles tend to be mechanically complex, requiring a larger combustion engine, a transmission, and a mechanism to couple both motors to the drive wheels.
Series hybrid vehicles have no connection between the ICE and the vehicle drive train, relying on stored power to provide for acceleration demands. This allows the ICE to run at optimal speeds resulting in smaller, more efficient engines. Since electric motors drive the wheels, energy saving is also achieved through regenerative braking systems that use the vehicle’s momentum to allow the traction motor to act as a generator, providing braking torque to the wheels and back to the batteries.