ABSTRACT
This chapter explains various hybrid vehicle power train architectures and their relative merits for passenger sedans and light trucks. Typical passenger sedans are defined as four- to five-occupant vehicles having a curb mass of 1200 to 1500 kg. Hybrid vehicle traction inverters will commonly have efficiencies ranging from 95 to 97%, depending on voltage and power rating. Water treatment is a perplexing issue and one that must be solved for fuel cell vehicles to operate in northern climates year round. Batteries are used to supply power during warm-up and during vehicle launch. Regardless of which type of power plant is used, fuel cell stack or internal combustion engine, the next generation of personal transportation vehicles will rely on hybridization to realize gains in fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. Regenerative braking, or energy recuperation, is the principal means through which kinetic energy of the vehicle is returned to electric energy storage rather than burned off as heat in the brake pads.
