Hybrid powertrains add an electric motor to a gasoline engine. There are many different designs as to where the electric motor is located and how it is integrated into the hybrid powertrain. The true hybrid charges the batteries as you drive from the gasoline engine and in some cars from generators built into the brake system. ( brake regeneration)
HOW DO THEY WORK ?
There is not a single configuration for hybrid powertrain cars. Some manufacturers place an electric motor in the drive line between the engine and the transmission. Others place the electric motor inside the transmission itself. A third choice is to place the electric motor attached to the engine itself.
There are varying ways the electric motor is used. In most systems the electric motor is used assist the gas engine. For example, when a car is stopped in traffic the electric motor is engaged to get the car moving again. This uses the strong point of instant torque to get the car moving without using gasoline. The electric motor may also be used to maintain highway speeds where less horsepower is required to maintain a certain speed. Some hybrids use the electric motor only until the batteries are depleted or more power is required. There is also a design that only uses the gasoline engine to charge the batteries and power the electric motor that drives the car.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HYBRID TYPES GO HERE!
EARLY PIONEERS
Toyota and Honda were the early leaders in bringing hybrids to market. The first Honda Insights were a two passenger vehicle . The focus was on lightweight materials to offset the weight of the batteries. The Insight has been an on and off deal for Honda. The newer models morphed into a Civic-like vehicle. By far the most successful hybrid to date is the Toyota Prius. The top selling conventional Toyota Prius has sold 1,643,000 units since 2000 through April 2016, representing a 40.8% market share of all hybrids sold in the U.S. since 1999. The Prius has also developed a strong reputation for it’s reliability.
HYBRIDS GROW UP
The first hybrids were small cars. They were designed to give the maximum MPG (miles per gallon) They were not very comfortable and had lackluster performance. With the sales success of the Prius, Toyota moved to incorporate hybrid technology into their other models. Today most automakers feature hybrid models of their most popular models going all the way up to full size SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade. There has also been a tremendous improvement in the performance department too. Manufacturers have Improved battery technology which permits more powerful electric motors to be used. The combination of larger gas engines and these electric motors have produce several hybrid models with over 400 horsepower.
MILAGE – POWER – LUXURY
Now you can have your cake and eat it too! If your pockets are deep enough. The hybrid has moved all the way up to the luxury and supercar makers.
Lexus 500h 
Porsche Panamera
PLUG-IN ELECTRIC HYBRIDS
The plug-in hybrid features larger batteries and the ability to plug the car into the electrical grid to charge up. The main benefit here is that this increases the range of electric only operation.
Green Cars Reports stated “The original 2011 Chevrolet Volt set a standard for plug-in hybrids, and very few vehicles have since either met or exceeded its original ratings of 35 miles on just electricity and 37 mpg when operating in its hybrid mode. Even fewer have measured up to the 2016 Volt and its 53 miles of range and 42 mpg combined.” Surprisingly GM has dropped plug-ins completely and moved on to Electrics.
