How Do Hybrid Cars Work?

With hybrid cars becoming more and more popular among drivers in the Minneapolis area, you may find yourself curious about how these vehicles operate. What is a hybrid car, and how does it work? A hybrid car is a vehicle that combines a gasoline-powered engine with one or more electric motors. Learn how hybrid cars work and how they can improve your driving experience with Land Rover Richfield. Then, explore new inventory to find a hybrid vehicle that you’ll love to drive to work and on your next vacation getaway. 

Parallel Hybrid vs. Series Hybrid: What’s the Difference?

To understand how hybrid cars work, it’s important to know that there are essentially two kinds of hybrids: parallel hybrids and series hybrids. Hybrid vehicles have two sources of power: an internal combustion engine and an electric battery. Hybrid vehicles utilize both of these systems efficiently to improve fuel economy and overall performance. Here’s how parallel hybrid vehicles and series hybrid vehicles work: 

Parallel Hybrid

The most common hybrid vehicles that St. Paul drivers use are parallel hybrids. Parallel hybrid vehicles use one or more electric motors and a gasoline-powered engine that’s connected to the transmission. This is true whether it’s an automatic transmission, manual transmission, or CVT (continuously variable transmission). Parallel hybrids work by blending both of these power sources together 

Series Hybrid

A series hybrid is a hybrid vehicle that uses an electric motor and a gasoline-powered engine, but the difference between a series hybrid and a parallel hybrid is that a series hybrid only has the electric motor paired with the transmission. In series hybrid vehicles, the electric motor is the sole source of power, and the gasoline engine is more of a generator for the electric motor.

Hybrid vs. Plug-In Hybrid

Another type of hybrid vehicle is a plug-in hybrid. What is a plug-in hybrid car, and how does it work? To understand this, it’s important to know the difference between a hybrid vehicle and an electric vehicle (EV). Electric vehicles run solely on electric batteries and don’t rely on gasoline fuel at all. Plug-in hybrid vehicles combine the benefits of both a hybrid and electric vehicle. Take a look at some of the differences between a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid below: 

• Compared to standard hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles can go further on electric power alone due to their increased battery packs.
• Plug-in hybrid vehicles are more similar to EVs in the sense that you can rely solely on electric power all day and recharge them overnight. Of course, you should only rely on electric power with a plug-in hybrid if you’re traveling short distances. 
• If you’re traveling further distances than usual, then you’ll still be able to fill up at a local Edina gas station with both kinds of vehicles. 
• A plug-in hybrid vehicle is still a hybrid and doesn’t rely solely on electric power. Because of this, you can usually expect a plug-in hybrid vehicle to take about 1-4 hours to come to a full battery charge. 

For more helpful service tips and information, reach out to the experts here at Land Rover Richfield. 

Find a Hybrid Vehicle in Richfield

Now that you have a better idea of how hybrid cars work, contact us to explore our new inventory and see which of our available hybrid vehicles is the right fit for you. For all other service inquiries like how to replace your Land Rover key fob, rely on the professionals at Land Rover Richfield.