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Concept
Hybrid vehicle drivetrain
Summary
Hybrid vehicle drivetrains transmit power to the driving wheels for hybrid vehicles. A hybrid vehicle has multiple forms of motive power.
Hybrids come in many configurations. For example, a hybrid may receive its energy by burning gasoline, but switch between an electric motor and a combustion engine.
Electrical vehicles have a long history combining internal combustion and electrical transmission - as in a diesel–electric power-train - although they have mostly been used for rail locomotives. A diesel–electric powertrain fails the definition of hybrid because the electric drive transmission directly replaces the mechanical transmission rather than being a supplementary source of motive power. One of the earliest forms of hybrid land vehicle was the 'trackless' trolleybus experiment in The United States (New Jersey) that ran from 1935 to 1948, which normally used traction current delivered by wire. The trolleybus was fitted with an internal combustion engine (ICE) to power the mechanical drivetrain directly, not to generate electricity for the traction motor. This enabled the vehicle to be used for revenue service where there was no contact wire. Since the 1990s trolleybus hybrids have been introduced with small power plants to provide a low speed capability for emergency and maintenance but not to support general revenue service.
The powertrain includes all of the components used to transform stored potential energy. Powertrains may either use chemical, solar, nuclear or kinetic and make them useful for propulsion. The oldest example is the steam locomotive. A common modern example is the electric bicycle. Hybrid electric vehicles combine a battery or supercapacitor supplemented by an ICE that can recharge the batteries or power the vehicle. Other hybrid powertrains use flywheels to store energy.
Among the different types of hybrid vehicles, only the electric/ICE type was commercially available as of 2017. One variety operated in parallel to provide power from both motors simultaneously.
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Ontological neighbourhood
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Hybrid electric vehicle
A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a type of hybrid vehicle that combines a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) system with an electric propulsion system (hybrid vehicle drivetrain). The presence of the electric powertrain is intended to achieve either better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle or better performance. There is a variety of HEV types and the degree to which each function as an electric vehicle (EV) also varies.
Lotus Cars
Lotus Cars Limited is a British automotive company headquartered in Norfolk, England, which manufactures sports cars and racing cars noted for their light weight and fine handling characteristics. Lotus was previously involved in Formula One racing, via Team Lotus, winning the Formula One World Championship seven times. Lotus Cars was founded and owned for many years by Colin Chapman. After his death and a period of financial instability, it was bought by General Motors, then Romano Artioli and DRB-HICOM through its subsidiary Proton.
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case providing an additional output drive shaft and, in many instances, additional gear ranges. A four-wheel drive vehicle with torque supplied to both axles is described as "all-wheel drive" (AWD).