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Hybrid Electric Vehicles

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INTRO

Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs)

Hybrid electric vehicles are powered by both internal combustion engine and electric motor independently or jointly, doubling the fuel efficiency compared with a conventional vehicle. A hybrid is designed to capture energy that is normally lost through braking and coasting to recharge the batteries, which in turn powers the electric motor, without the need for plugging in.
A 'parallel' hybrid electric vehicle can use the electric motor or the internal combustion engine to propel the vehicle. A 'series' hybrid electric vehicle uses the electric motor to provide added power to the internal combustion engine when it needs it most, for example in stop-and-go driving and acceleration and, therefore achieve greater fuel economy than conventional gasoline-engine vehicles.

SUPPLY

Hungary: Around 100 Toyota Prius type vehicles.
Italy, Rome:
•12 Hybrids Bus
•The Largest Electric Fleet in Europe:
52 minibus

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

At 80g/km the Honda Insight (1999-2004) had the lowest CO2 emissions of any commercially available internal combustion engine (ICE) car worldwide, and at 104g/km the Prius has the lowest of any volume-produced ICE car. It is therefore easy to see why hybrids have caused such as stir in the environmental and automotive worlds during the past 8 years. Indeed the Prius’ low emissions are all the more impressive when you consider that it is a 5-seater family car and still has lower emissions than the small diesels cars such as the Toyota Yaris, Citroen C2 and VW Lupo. Most models also have air quality emissions that are well below Europe’s most
recent ‘Euro IV’ emissions standard.

ADVANTAGES:

Optimized fuel efficiency and performance
Lower fuelling costs
Reduced fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions
Recovered energy from regenerative braking
Use of existing gas station infrastructure

DISADVANTAGES:

Higher initial cost
Complexity of two power trains
Component availability—batteries, power trains, power

Electronics

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs)

As with other hybrids, a plug-in hybrid vehicle has the ability to run on either electricity or an internal combustion engine. Plug-in hybrids have a larger battery than the batteries of conventional hybrids and can be recharged by plugging into an appropriate outlet.
Recharged vehicles can provide 30 to 100 Km of all-electric, zeroemission range without engine power. Plug-in hybrids are being tested in prototype form and may soon be available for sale.

ADVANTAGES:

Cleaner electric energy thanks advanced technologies or renewable
Reduced fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions
Energy security by displacing imported petroleum with domestic generated electricity
Optimized fuel efficiency and performance
Recovered energy from regenerative braking
Unchanged gas station infrastructure
Grid connection potential
Home based" battery recharging at a fraction of the cost of

petroleum equivalent

Pure zero-emission capability
Potential of even lower fuelling costs compared to battery

sustaining hybrids

DISADVANTAGES:

Cost and complexity of two power trains
Component availability—batteries, powertrains, power

electronics

Higher initial cost contributes to the European growth
Cost of batteries and battery replacement
Added weight

COUNTRY SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Italy

Rome
•12 Hybrids Bus
•The Largest Electric Fleet in Europe:
52 minibus
1.500 000 km/year
3 mln passengers/year
5 lines
•7 bus powered with biogas
•371 bus EURO III CRT (= EURO IV)
•30 New Bi-modal Trolley Bus
1 new Trolley Bus line
•200 (+200) CNG bus

MINIBUS FLEET

FLEET SIZE: 51 unit

Minibus fleet: balance

Advantages
• Able to serve an environment characterized by very narrow streets
• Greatly appreciated by the users: comfort and silence
• No pollutant

Disadvantages
• Limited range
• Small capacity
• Limited dynamic performances

Hungary

Around 100 Toyota Prius type vehicles.

Portugal

Hybrid Electric Vehicles are becoming very well accepted by citizens. Hybrid vehicles have a 50% reduction on the automobile purchase tax. The Municipality of Almada , within a partnership with AGENEAL, renewed part of their fleet with some Hybrid vehicles. Almada Municipality fleet has 7 hybrid vehicles, one CNG and one electric. AVIS have a fleet of 24 hybrids and BRISA have 28. Total number of hibrids in Portugal should be around 2500 by now. A new electric vehicle will be produced in Portugal in 2009 and will be available to the public by less then 10 000 Euro.

Bulgaria

At this time in Bulgaria are some experilental work only in the field of combination a battery engine with an internal combustion engine with view for further hybrid car application and development.

Spain

The number of hybrid vehicles commercialised in Spain during 2005 reached one thousand, corresponding Japanese manufacturers.
The Castilla y León government, via the EREN (Ente Regional de Energía de Castilla y León), subsidizes the difference in the purchase cost of hybrid propulsion automobiles, vans and motorbikes by companies, associations and local entities of Castilla y León with a maximum amount in 2005 of 4.500 € for each automobile or van, and 1050 € for each motorbike.

The IDAE (Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía) provides funds in its financing line ICO-IDAE for 2005 for the purchase of clean or alternative vehicles, including hybrids, for public service or public administration fleets.
In the Municipal Transport Company of Madrid there are currently 20 hybrid vehicles, electric or diesel.

Slovenia

Electric Vehicles running on batteries are used by municipal service companies in several Slovene cities: Ljubljana, Piran, Celje and Maribor, but we are talking about small numbers, around 20 all together.

Also a small taxi fleet of hybrid electric cars operates in Ljubljana (3 hybrid vehicles).

In the middle of 2008 there were total of 280 registered hybrid electrical vehicles in Slovenia. In first half of 2008 up to 28 Toyota Prius, 30 hybrid Lexus and 22 hybrid Honda Civic cars were sold.

Incentives, laws

There are no financial incentives or tax exemptions that would encourage the purchase and use of hybrid or electric vehicles.

Hybrid cars are exempt from the tax on engine propelled vehicles which has to be paid when a new car is purchased, if their CO2 emissions do not exceed 110 g/km.

Supply of vehicles

Small utility vehicles are available, but they cost about twice as much as the same vehicles that are diesel propelled.

On the Slovene market of private cars only three hybrids are available: Toyota Prius, Lexus RX400h and Honda Civic Hybrid. Not many people decide to buy them because of their high price.

Technology and refuelling

The problem with batteries is a relatively short operational time which gets even shorter with wearing out of the batteries.

Environmental benefits

Electric utility vehicles are usually bought out of environmental reasons, because they are quieter and cleaner.

Economic aspects

As already mentioned the prices of electric utility vehicles are about twice as high as the prices of conventionally propelled vehicles. According to the fleet managers of companies in Slovenia that are using these vehicles, the overall operational costs are the same for electric vehicles and conventional vehicles.

High prices of electric or hybrid vehicles are not specific for Slovenia, but with smaller budgets when compared to EU-15 countries companies and individuals are more reluctant to buy these kinds of vehicles.

The owner of the hybrid taxi fleet in Ljubljana says hybrids are economically effective.

Greece

The promotion for introduction of HEV in Greece includes: a) Circulation tax exemption, b) Registration tax exemption and c) free of car restricted measures for the entrance in the city centre of Athens.
For hybrid cars, incentives are applied only when the propulsion system of the internal combustion engine comply with the conventional car non-polluting technology that is in force.

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