Hybrid Sales down 18% from this time last year. Overall car sales up 4.5% thru May 2015

[happyslug]

10. The issue was the whole concept of Hybrid not Serial or Parallel Hybrids.

For those of you who are following this thread lets define Serial and Parallel Hybrids first:

Parallel hybrid systems, which are most commonly produced at present, have both an internal combustion engine (ICE) and an electric motor coupled. If they are joined at an axis in parallel, the speeds at this axis must be identical and the supplied torques add together. Most electric bicycles are of this type. When only one of the two sources is being used, the other must either also rotate in an idling manner, be connected by a one-way clutch, or freewheel. With cars, the two sources may be applied to the same shaft- for example with the electric motor lying between the engine and transmission. The speeds are thus equal and the torques add up, with the electric motor adding or subtracting torque to the system as necessary. The Honda Insight uses this system.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_vehicle_drivetrain#Parallel_hybrid

The best example of a Parallel Hybrid system is an electric bicycle. You retain all of the propulsion system of the non electric system but then add on an electric motor that can also propel the bicycle. Please note, the actual "wheel" the two systems work on can be the same or different. In custom made electric bicycle the rear wheel gets both forms of power, in an add on electric bicycle, in most cases the front wheel is replaced with a wheel with an electric motor, so you peddle, the power goes to the rear wheel, but if you turn on the electrical power it goes to the front wheel.

Now for the Serial Hybrid:

The mechanical transmission between the engine and the wheels is removed and replaced by electric driving traction motors which are powered by an electric generator turned by an internal combustion engine. The driving electric traction motors are the only form of propulsion.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_vehicle_drivetrain#Series_hybrid

Best example of a Series Hybrid system, are Diesel Electric Locomotives and ships. The main propulsion system is electrical, the only difference is where the electrical power is coming from. It can be from the diesel or gasoline engine OR from batteries.


The Toyota Prius is called a "Serial-Parallel system: for it uses both to a degree. The actual final transmission is a CRT (continuously variable transmission) but the CRT is controlled by an electric motor "that the torque/speed conversion uses an electric motor rather than a direct mechanical gear train connection". i.e. the electric motor moves the "gears" as oppose to a mechanical leakage in convention CRT transmissions (I put "gears" in parentheses, for in a CRT you do NOT have gears as in a Manual Or Conventional Automatic Transmission, see the comment on CRT below for details).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_Synergy_Drive

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuously_variable_transmission

A similar System was used in the Honda Hybrids (Except the early Honda Hybrids you could get with a five speed manual transmissions AND a CRT transmissions, but later Honda Hybrids were all CRT Transmissions).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Insight

The Chevrolet Volt is a Series Hybrid:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Volt


As to original topic, whether we we talking of an electric Bicycle (A Parallel hybrid system) or a diesel Locomotive (A series Hybrid system) does not matter, both systems require two energy supply system, one based on electrical power, the other another source of power (oil for Diesel Locomotives, pedaling with your feet for an electric Bicycle).

Yes, technically a Diesel Locomotive does NOT use batteries to store excessive power while the diesel engine is idling, but that is changing

http://www.industrytap.com/ges-hybrid-locomotive-moves-a-ton-of-freight-500-miles-on-a-gallon-of-fuel/4226

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_train

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/07/3422342/hybrid-diesel-electric-trains/