How Hybrids Work

U.S. Department of Energy/Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

This animation describes how hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) combine the benefits of gasoline engines and electric motors and can be configured to obtain different objectives, such as improved fuel economy, increased power, or additional auxiliary power for electronic devices and power tools.

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Notes from our reviewers

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Use in conjunction with other features on the fuel economy page to provide greater depth and other research opportunities for students. Must click through as Flash version has been removed.
Interactive text-based animation shows how the different components of a hybrid vehicle work during different stages of automobile functioning: starting, cruising, passing, breaking, and stopping. Developed by a reputable source: US Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Technology is accurate. Comments from expert scientist: Excellent. The description is both precise and concise. It captures the essence of this remarkable technology. One useful addition is that, because hybrid uses the electric motor to carry most of the burden of acceleration, it allows the engine to minimize the task of acceleration, where engine efficiency tends to be low and pollutant emissions tend to be high. Consequently, not only the fuel efficiency improves, the pollutant emissions also decline significantly.