Plug-in, start up, drive farther
Imagine a car that can travel 40 miles without ever starting an engine. How about one that can carry four adult passengers 400 miles on only a few gallons of gas? Sounds impossible?
Not with the advent of serial hybrid vehicles.
When most people think of hybrids, they think of cars like the Toyota Prius. The Prius is a category of hybrid vehicle called a parallel hybrid, which uses an electric engine to drive under certain speeds, usually 35 miles per hour, for limited distances, around 30 miles, but uses a gasoline engine to travel at higher speeds or longer distances.
Parallel hybrids can offer significant fuel savings for people who do a lot of city driving, but often have worse fuel economy than standard cars over longer distances and at higher speeds.
Serial hybrids, on the other hand, are a different kind of technology that uses a small engine to power an electric generator that charges batteries which then drive electric motors that are always used to propel the vehicle. In addition, the batteries of serial hybrids can be charged from electrical outlets, meaning that short-distance, low-speed driving can be accomplished without ever turning the engine on.
The advantage of a serial hybrid over a parallel hybrid is that it always uses its electric motor system, reducing the complexity, and therefore the weight, of the vehicle, which translates into fuel savings. Further, because the engine in a serial hybrid only runs a generator, it can be designed to run at maximum efficiency, meaning it can get far better mileage than an engine that is required to accelerate to move the car.
The Chevy Volt is the only know serial hybrid near mass-production; however, the economic downturn and technological hurdles may push that vehicles production back past its original date of 2010. Even without the Volt, the promise of serial hybrid technology is real, and it would not be surprising if someone releases a production vehicle to the market by 2015.
Hopefully, that vehicle comes out before gas reaches $10 per gallon.
UPDATE: While the print edition of the Clarion was going to press, Ford announced through an exclusive interview with FoxNews that they will be releasing an all electric vehicle for the 2010 model year and a serial hybrid in 2012. Also, Tesla Motors, an electric car startup, is taking preorders on its $49,000 all-electric Model S.