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 functions as an electric vehicle (EV) also varies. The most common form of HEV is the hybrid electric car, although hybrid electric trucks (pickups and tractors), buses, boats, tow trucks, and aircraft also exist.
187-405: Modern HEVs make use of efficiency-improving technologies such as regenerative brakes which convert the vehicle's kinetic energy to electric energy, which is stored in a battery or supercapacitor . Some varieties of HEV use an internal combustion engine to turn an electrical generator , which either recharges the vehicle's batteries or directly powers its electric drive motors; this combination
374-493: A 2.3-litre five-cylinder petrol engine with an output of 100 kilowatts (136 PS; 134 bhp). The intent was to produce a vehicle which could operate on the engine in the country, and electric mode in the city. Mode of operation could be selected by the driver. Just ten vehicles are believed to have been made; one drawback was that due to the extra weight of the electric drive, the vehicles were less efficient when running on their engines alone than standard Audi 100s with
561-428: A battery or a capacitor . Once stored, this power can then be later used to aid forward propulsion . Because of the electrified vehicle architecture required for such a braking system, automotive regenerative brakes are most commonly found on hybrid and electric vehicles . This method contrasts with conventional braking systems, where excess kinetic energy is converted to unwanted and wasted heat due to friction in
748-532: A flywheel ) or as electrical energy (as in a battery or supercapacitor ). Two minor incidents were reported during testing of KERS systems in 2008 . The first occurred when the Red Bull Racing team tested their KERS battery for the first time in July: it malfunctioned and caused a fire scare that led to the team's factory being evacuated. The second was less than a week later when a BMW Sauber mechanic
935-640: A 12-batteries pack. The regenerative brake concept was further developed in the early 1980s by David Arthurs, an electrical engineer , using off-the shelf components, military surplus, and an Opel GT . The voltage controller to link the batteries, motor (a jet-engine starter motor), and DC generator was Arthurs'. The vehicle exhibited 75 miles per US gallon (3.1 L/100 km; 90 mpg ‑imp ) fuel efficiency , and plans for it were marketed by Mother Earth News . In 1982, Fritz Karl Preikschat invented an electric propulsion and braking system for cars based on regenerative braking. While clearly not
1122-469: A 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine . Research and Development was advancing in the 1990s with projects such as the early BMW 5 Series (E34) CVT hybrid-electric vehicle In 1992, Volvo ECC was developed by Volvo . The Volvo ECC was built on the Volvo 850 platform. In contrast to most production hybrids, which use a gasoline piston engine to provide additional acceleration and to recharge the battery storage,
1309-535: A 20% tax reduction for flexifuel company cars. Also, a part of the program, the Swedish Government ruled that 25% of their vehicle purchases (excluding police, fire and ambulance vehicles) must be alternative fuel vehicles. By the first months of 2008, this package of incentives resulted in sales of flexible-fuel cars representing 25% of new car sales. On the supply side, since 2005 the gasoline fuelling stations selling more than 3 million liters of fuel
1496-418: A contributing factor in the fatal crash of Jules Bianchi at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix . Bosch Motorsport Service is developing a KERS for use in motor racing. These electricity storage systems for hybrid and engine functions include a lithium-ion battery with scalable capacity or a flywheel , a four to eight kilogram electric motor (with a maximum power level of 60 kW or 80 hp), as well as
1683-529: A core design concept of most modern production HEVs, was developed in 1967 for the American Motors Amitron and called Energy Regeneration Brake by AMC. This completely battery powered urban concept car was recharged by braking, thus increasing the range of the automobile. The AMC Amitron was first use of regenerative braking technology in the U.S. A more recent working prototype of the HEV
1870-428: A dedicated sensor, which automatically detects the amount of ethanol in the fuel, allowing to adjust both fuel injection and spark timing accordingly to the actual blend available in the vehicle's tank. Because ethanol contains close to 34% less energy per unit volume than gasoline, E85 FFVs have a lower mileage per gallon than gasoline. Based on EPA tests for all 2006 E85 models, the average fuel economy for E85 vehicles
2057-451: A devoted base of owners. A second-generation Insight was launched in 2010. In 2004, Honda also released a 6-cylinder hybrid version of the Accord but discontinued it in 2007, citing disappointing sales, although production of a 4-cylinder hybrid began in 2012. The Ford Escape Hybrid , the first hybrid electric sport utility vehicle (SUV), was released in 2005. Toyota and Ford entered into
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#17327724322702244-694: A drive motor in each front wheel with a second set of parallel windings ( bifilar coil ) for regenerative braking. The Orwell Electric Truck introduced by Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies in England during WW1 used regenerative braking switched in by the driver. In England, "automatic regenerative control" was introduced to tramway operators by John S. Raworth's Traction Patents 1903–1908, offering them economic and operational benefits as explained in some detail by his son Alfred Raworth . These included tramway systems at Devonport (1903), Rawtenstall , Birmingham , Crystal Palace-Croydon (1906), and many others. Slowing
2431-445: A flywheel can be described by this general energy equation, assuming the flywheel is the system: Flexible-fuel vehicle A flexible-fuel vehicle ( FFV ) or dual-fuel vehicle ( colloquially called a flex-fuel vehicle ) is an alternative fuel vehicle with an internal combustion engine designed to run on more than one fuel , usually gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol fuel , and both fuels are stored in
2618-430: A form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. Typically, regenerative brakes work by driving an electric motor in reverse to recapture energy that would otherwise be lost as heat during braking, effectively turning the traction motor into a generator. Feeding power backwards through the system like this allows the energy harvested from deceleration to resupply an energy storage solution such as
2805-421: A four-cylinder ICE and an electric motor. Below 15 mph (24 km/h) the electric motor alone drove the vehicle, drawing power from a battery pack, and above this speed the "main" engine cut in to take the car up to its 35 mph (56 km/h) top speed. About 600 were made up to 1918. The Woods hybrid was a commercial failure, proving to be too slow for its price, and too difficult to service. In England,
2992-408: A gasoline powered 6.5-liter, two-cylinder engine, but also a dynamo flywheel connected to an onboard battery. The dynamo and regenerative braking were used to charge the battery. Its electric starter was used 16 years before Cadillac's. The dynamo also provided ignition spark and powered the electric lamps. The Phaeton also had the first semi-automatic transmission (no manual clutch). The exhaust system
3179-401: A kinetic energy recovery system" in 2007. Peugeot was the first manufacturer to unveil a fully functioning LMP1 car in the form of the 908 HY at the 2008 Autosport 1000 km race at Silverstone. On electric bicycles, regenerative braking can be used in principle. However, as of 2024 it is rarely used on bicycles, mainly because it requires a direct-drive hub motor (while many bicycles use
3366-546: A licensing agreement in March 2004 allowing Ford to use 20 patents from Toyota related to hybrid technology, although Ford's engine was independently designed and built. In exchange for the hybrid licenses, Ford licensed patents involving their European diesel engines to Toyota. Toyota announced calendar year 2005 hybrid electric versions of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX 400h with 4WD-i, which uses
3553-613: A loophole in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements, that allows for a fuel economy credit for every flex-fuel vehicle sold, whether or not in practice these vehicles are fueled with E85. This loophole might allow the car industry to meet the CAFE targets in fuel economy just by spending between US$ 100 and US$ 200 that it cost to turn a conventional vehicle into a flex-fuel, without investing in new technology to improve fuel economy, and saving them
3740-454: A maximum recuperative braking force of 750 kN . From Riksgränsen on the national border to the Port of Narvik, the trains use only a fifth of the power they regenerate. The regenerated energy is sufficient to power the empty trains back up to the national border. Any excess energy from the railway is pumped into the power grid to supply homes and businesses in the region, and the railway
3927-839: A mid-drive motor which drives the chain), and because it cannot be combined with a freewheel mechanism. Also, the amount of energy regenerated is typically too low to be worthwhile. Regenerative braking is also possible on a non-electric bicycle. The United States Environmental Protection Agency , working with students from the University of Michigan , developed the hydraulic Regenerative Brake Launch Assist (RBLA). Many hybrid electric and fully electric vehicles employ regenerative braking in conjunction with friction braking, Regenerative braking systems are not able to fully emulate conventional brake function for drivers, but there are continuing advancements. The calibrations used to determine when energy will be regenerated and when friction braking
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#17327724322704114-403: A plug to an external electric powersource . A PHEV shares the characteristics of both a conventional hybrid electric vehicle, having an electric motor and an internal combustion engine ; and of an all-electric vehicle , also having a plug to connect to the electrical grid . PHEVs have a much larger all-electric range as compared to conventional gasoline-electric hybrids, and also eliminate
4301-712: A production locomotive was sold to a street railway company in Cedar Falls, Iowa , in 1897. In 1896, the Armstrong Phaeton was developed by Harry E. Dey and built by the Armstrong Company of Bridgeport, CT for the Roger Mechanical Carriage Company. Though there were steam, electric, and internal combustion vehicles introduced in the early days, the Armstrong Phaeton was innovative with many firsts. Not only did it have
4488-673: A prototype was tested for six months using a Toyota Prius as development mule . Toyota announced plans to start series production of a flex hybrid electric car for the Brazilian market in the second half of 2019. The twelfth generation of the Corolla line-up was launched in Brazil in September 2019, which included an Altis trim with the first version of a flex-fuel hybrid powered by a 1.8-litre Atkinson engine. By February 2020, sales of
4675-511: A racing hybrid in 1902. In 1905, Henri Pieper of Germany/Belgium introduced a hybrid vehicle with an electric motor/generator, batteries, and a small gasoline engine. It used the electric motor to charge its batteries at cruise speed and used both motors to accelerate or climb a hill. The Pieper factory was taken over by Impéria , after Pieper died. The 1915 Dual Power , made by the Woods Motor Vehicle electric car maker, had
4862-490: A rear electric motor to power the rear wheels, negating the need for a transfer case. In 2006, General Motors Saturn Division began to market a mild parallel hybrid , the 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line , which utilized GM's Belted Alternator /Starter ( BAS Hybrid ) system combined with a 2.4-litre L4 engine and an FWD automatic transmission. The same hybrid powertrain was also used to power the 2008 Saturn Aura Green Line and Malibu Hybrid models. As of December 2009, only
5049-555: A recovery of 80% of the value added tax (VAT) on E85 vehicles. Also, E85 fuel price is set significantly lower than diesel or gasoline, resulting in E85 at € 0.80, diesel at €1.15, and gasoline at €1.30 per liter , as of April 2007. By May 2008, France had 211 pumps selling E85, even though the government made plans for the installation of up to 500 E85 pumps by year end 2007. French automakers Renault and PSA (Citroen & Peugeot) announced they will start selling FFV cars beginning in
5236-534: A second push took place in March 2003, when the Brazilian subsidiary of Volkswagen launched to the market the first full flexible-fuel car, the Gol 1.6 Total Flex. Several months later was followed by other Brazilian automakers, and by 2010 General Motors, Fiat, Ford, Peugeot , Renault , Volkswagen, Honda , Mitsubishi , Toyota , Citroën , Nissan and Kia Motors were producing popular models of flex cars and light trucks. The adoption of ethanol flex fuel vehicles
5423-531: A second-generation Prius in 2004 and a third in 2009. The 2010 Prius has an estimated U.S. Environmental Protection Agency combined fuel economy cycle of 50 miles per US gallon (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpg ‑imp ). The Audi Duo III was introduced in 1997, based on the Audi B5 A4 Avant , and was the only Duo to ever make it into series production. The Duo III used the 1.9- litre Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) diesel engine , which
5610-410: A serious accident at Rawtenstall, an embargo was placed on this form of traction in 1911; the regenerative braking system was reintroduced twenty years later. Regenerative braking has been in extensive use on railways for many decades. The Baku-Tbilisi-Batumi railway ( Transcaucasus Railway or Georgian railway) started utilizing regenerative braking in the early 1930s. This was especially effective on
5797-509: A serious safety hazard: in many early electric vehicles with regenerative braking, the same controller positions were used to apply power and to apply the regenerative brake, with the functions being swapped by a separate manual switch. This led to a number of serious accidents when drivers accidentally accelerated when intending to brake, such as the runaway train accident in Wädenswil, Switzerland in 1948, which killed twenty-one people. In
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5984-535: A small gasoline reservoir for cold starting the engine when temperatures drop below 15 °C (59 °F). An improved flex motor generation was launched in 2009 which eliminated the need for the secondary gas tank. As ethanol FFVs became commercially available during the late 1990s, the common use of the term "flexible-fuel vehicle" became synonymous with ethanol FFVs. In the United States flex-fuel vehicles are also known as "E85 vehicles". In Brazil,
6171-518: A time when oil prices were already significantly rising. By 2006, about 50 percent of the gasoline used in the U.S. contained ethanol at different proportions, and ethanol production grew so fast that the US became the world's top ethanol producer, overtaking Brazil in 2005. This shift also contributed to a sharp increase in the production and sale of E85 flex vehicles since 2002. Flexible-fuel technology started being developed by Brazilian engineers near
6358-449: A time, for example, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), or hydrogen . The most common commercially available FFV in the world market is the ethanol flexible-fuel vehicle, with about 60 million automobiles , motorcycles and light duty trucks manufactured and sold worldwide by March 2018, and concentrated in four markets, Brazil (30.5 million light-duty vehicles and over 6 million motorcycles),
6545-674: A trial, in order to measure interest in ethanol-powered vehicles in the country. Saab Australia placed the vehicles with the fleets of the Queensland Government, the media, and some ethanol producers. E85 is not available widely in Australia, but the Manildra Group provided the E85 blend fuel for this trial. Saab Australia became the first car maker to produce an E85 flex-fuel car for the Australian market with
6732-557: A waste product of cheese manufacturing. The Irish government established several incentives, including a 50% discount in vehicle registration taxes (VRT), which can account for more than one third of the retail price of a new car in Ireland (around €6,500). The bioethanol element of the E85 fuel is excise-free for fuel companies, allowing retail prices to be low enough to offset the 25 per cent cut in fuel economy that E-85 cars offer, due to ethanol's lower energy content than gasoline. Also,
6919-493: A year are required to sell at least one type of biofuel, resulting in more than 1,200 gas stations selling E85 by August 2008. Despite all the sharp growth of E85 flexifuel cars, by 2007 they represented just two percent of the four million Swedish vehicles. In addition, this law also mandated all new filling stations to offer alternative fuels, and stations with an annual volume of more than one million liters are required to have an alternative fuel pump by December 2009. Therefore,
7106-510: Is rectified for DC motors). In areas where there is a constant need for power unrelated to moving the vehicle, such as electric train heat or air conditioning , this load requirement can be utilized as a sink for the recovered energy via modern AC traction systems . This method has become popular with North American passenger railroads where head end power loads are typically in the area of 500 kW year round. Using HEP loads in this way has prompted recent electric locomotive designs such as
7293-405: Is a kit that allows a conventional equipment manufactured vehicle to be altered to operate on propane, natural gas, methane gas, ethanol, or electricity are classified as aftermarket AFV conversions. All vehicle conversions, except those that are completed for a vehicle to run on electricity, must meet current applicable U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. In 2008, Ford delivered
7480-497: Is a net generator of electricity. Electric cars used regenerative braking since the earliest experiments, but this initially required the driver to flip switches between various operational modes in order to use it. The Baker Electric Runabout and the Owen Magnetic were early examples, which used many switches and modes controlled by an expensive "black box" or "drum switch" as part of their electrical system. These, like
7667-567: Is available. The 240 mm diameter flywheel weighs 5.0 kg and revolves at up to 64,500 rpm. Maximum torque is 18 Nm (13.3 ftlbs). The system occupies a volume of 13 litres. Formula One have stated that they support responsible solutions to the world's environmental challenges, and the FIA allowed the use of 60 kW (82 PS; 80 hp) KERS in the regulations for the 2009 Formula One season . Teams began testing systems in 2008: energy can either be stored as mechanical energy (as in
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7854-400: Is insufficient to safely stop the vehicle – will not wear out as quickly as they would in a vehicle relying solely on traditional brakes. The most common form of regenerative brake involves an electric motor functioning as an electric generator. In electric railways , the electricity generated is fed back into the traction power supply . In battery electric and hybrid electric vehicles,
8041-713: Is intended to promote a massive adoption of flex-fuel vehicles capable of running on ethanol or methanol. The bill requires that 50 percent of automobiles made in 2014, 80 percent in 2016, and 95 percent in 2017, would be manufactured and warranted to operate on non-petroleum-based fuels, which includes existing technologies such as flex-fuel, natural gas , hydrogen , biodiesel , plug-in electric and fuel cell . As of December 2014 , almost half of new vehicles produced by Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors are flex-fuel, meaning roughly one-quarter of all new vehicles sold by 2015 are capable of using up to E85. However, obstacles to widespread use of E85 fuel remain. A 2014 analysis by
8228-521: Is known as a motor–generator . Many HEVs reduce idle emissions by shutting down the engine at idle and restarting it when needed; this is known as a start-stop system . A hybrid-electric produces lower tailpipe emissions than a comparably sized gasoline car since the hybrid's gasoline engine is usually smaller than that of a gasoline-powered vehicle. If the engine is not used to drive the car directly, it can be geared to run at maximum efficiency, further improving fuel economy. Ferdinand Porsche developed
8415-612: Is no longer excise-free in Ireland. Maxol has announced they will not provide E85 when their current supplies have run out. The first flexifuel vehicles were introduced in Spain by late 2007, with the acquisition of 80 cars for use in the Spaniard official government fleet. At that time the country had only three gas stations selling E85 , making necessary to deploy an official E85 fueling station in Madrid to attend these vehicles. Despite
8602-567: Is not by itself sufficient as the sole means of safely bringing a vehicle to a standstill, or slowing it as required, so it must be used in conjunction with another braking system such as friction -based braking. Regenerative and friction braking must both be used, creating the need to control them to produce the required total braking. The GM EV-1 was the first commercial car to do this. In 1997 and 1998, engineers Abraham Farag and Loren Majersik were issued two patents for this brake-by-wire technology. Early applications commonly suffered from
8789-468: Is not yet available to the general public. These successful tests with P-series fuels were conducted on Ford Taurus and Dodge Caravan flexible-fuel vehicles. Though technology exists to allow ethanol FFVs to run on any mixture of gasoline and ethanol, from pure gasoline up to 100% ethanol ( E100 ), North American and European flex-fuel vehicles are optimized to run on E85 , a blend of 85% anhydrous ethanol fuel with 15% gasoline. This upper limit in
8976-522: Is reduced by regenerative braking on streetcars ( AE ) or trams ( CE ) in Oranjestad, Aruba . Designed and built by TIG/m Modern Street Railways in Chatsworth , USA, the vehicles use hybrid/electric technology: they do not take their power from external sources such as overhead wires when running but are self-powered by lithium batteries augmented by hydrogen fuel cells . The energy of
9163-699: Is similar as it also forms part of the driveline assembly. However, the whole mechanism including the flywheel sits entirely in the vehicle's hub (looking like a drum brake). In the CPC-KERS, a differential replaces the CVT and transfers torque between the flywheel , drive wheel and road wheel. The first of these systems to be revealed was the Flybrid. This system weighs 24 kg and has an energy capacity of 400 kJ after allowing for internal losses. A maximum power boost of 60 kW (82 PS; 80 hp) for 6.67 seconds
9350-714: Is that it requires dedicated storage tanks at filling stations, at an estimated cost of US$ 60,000 for each dedicated ethanol tank. The Obama Administration set the goal of installing 10,000 blender pumps nationwide until 2015, and to support this target the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a rule in May 2011 to include flexible fuel pumps in the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). This ruling will provide financial assistance to fuel station owners to install E85 and blender pumps. A flex fuel conversion kit
9537-451: Is the need to closely match the generated current with the supply characteristics and increased maintenance cost of the lines. With DC supplies, this requires that the voltage be closely controlled. The AC power supply and frequency converter pioneer Miro Zorič and his first AC power electronics have also enabled this to be possible with AC supplies. The supply frequency must also be matched (this mainly applies to locomotives where an AC supply
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#17327724322709724-468: Is used on some parts of the London Underground , achieved by having small slopes leading up and down from stations. The train is slowed by the climb, and then leaves down a slope, so kinetic energy is converted to gravitational potential energy in the station. This is normally found on the deep tunnel sections of the network and not generally above ground or on the cut and cover sections of
9911-491: Is used to slow down the vehicle affects the way the driver feels the braking action. The regenerative braking system (RBS) of electric automobiles is the key mechanism for recovering braking energy. With the help of RBS, the efficiency has been significantly improved. RBS affects the fuel economy, emissions, safety, and other functions of electric vehicles. It significantly improves the vehicle's energy recovery rate and helps improve stability and reliability. Power consumption
10098-475: The 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix on 26 July 2009. Their second KERS equipped car finished fifth. At the following race, Lewis Hamilton became the first driver to take pole position with a KERS car, his teammate, Heikki Kovalainen qualifying second. This was also the first instance of an all KERS front row. On 30 August 2009, Kimi Räikkönen won the Belgian Grand Prix with his KERS equipped Ferrari. It
10285-483: The 2009 Le Mans Series season , although it was not capable of scoring championship points. Peugeot plans also a compressed air regenerative braking powertrain called Hybrid Air. McLaren began testing of their KERS in September 2008 at the Jerez test track in preparation for the 2009 F1 season, although at that time it was not yet known if they would be operating an electrical or mechanical system. In November 2008 it
10472-457: The ALP-46 and ACS-64 to eliminate the use of dynamic brake resistor grids and also eliminates any need for any external power infrastructure to accommodate power recovery allowing self-powered vehicles to employ regenerative braking as well. A small number of steep grade railways have used 3-phase power supplies and induction motors . This results in a near constant speed for all trains, as
10659-462: The Brazilian ethanol industry crisis that began in 2009 , combined with government subsidies to keep gasoline price lower than the international market value, by November 2013 only 23% flex-fuel car owners were using ethanol, down from 66% in 2009. One of the latest innovation within the Brazilian flexible-fuel technology is the development of flex-fuel motorcycles . The first flex-fuel motorcycle
10846-538: The Chevrolet Corsa 1.8 Flexpower, using an engine developed by a joint-venture with Fiat called PowerTrain. Passenger flex-fuel vehicles became a commercial success in the country, and as of December 2013 , a total of 15 car manufacturers produce flex-fuel engines for the Brazilian market, dominating all light vehicle segments except sports cars, off-road vehicles and minivans. The production of flex-fuel cars and light commercial vehicles since 2003 reached
11033-620: The EU . As of July 2012 retail prices of E85 was €1.09 per liter, and gasoline was priced at €1.60 per liter (for gasoline RON 95), then providing enough margin to compensate for ethanol's lower fuel economy. Ford has offered the Ford Focus since August 2005 in Germany. Ford is about to offer also the Mondeo and other models as FFV versions between 2008 and 2010. The Saab 9-5 and Saab 9-3 Biopower,
11220-578: The Esparante GTR-Q9 became the first Petrol-Electric Hybrid to race at Le Mans, although the car failed to qualify for the main event. The car managed to finished second in class at Petit Le Mans the same year. Automotive hybrid technology became widespread beginning in the late 1990s. The first mass-produced hybrid vehicle was the Toyota Prius , launched in Japan in 1997, and followed by
11407-467: The Fiat 127 , set to output 33 hp only and coupled to a 20 kW electric motor. The scheme proposed by Fiat is defined as "parallel hybrid": the petrol engine is connected to the differential with a 1:1 direct gear ratio, without gearbox, instead of the clutch there was an 8-inch torque converter followed by the transmission shaft on which the rotor of the electric motor is keyed, the latter powered by
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#173277243227011594-631: The Honda Insight , launched in 1999 in the United States and Japan. The Prius was launched in Europe , North America and the rest of the world in 2000. The first-generation Prius sedan has an estimated fuel economy of 52 miles per US gallon (4.5 L/100 km; 62 mpg ‑imp ) in the city and 45 miles per US gallon (5.2 L/100 km; 54 mpg ‑imp ) in highway driving. The two-door first-generation Insight
11781-531: The Kia Optima Hybrid . The Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 was launched in the European market in 2012, becoming the world's first production diesel -electric hybrid. According to Peugeot the new hybrid delivers a fuel economy of up to 62 miles per US gallon (3.8 L/100 km; 74 mpg ‑imp ) and CO 2 emissions of 99g/km on the European test cycle. The Toyota Prius v , launched in
11968-468: The Lohner–Porsche in 1901. But hybrid electric vehicles did not become widely available until the release of the Toyota Prius in Japan in 1997, followed by the Honda Insight in 1999. Initially, hybrid seemed unnecessary due to the low cost of gasoline. Worldwide increases in the price of petroleum caused many automakers to release hybrids in the late 2000s; they are now perceived as a core segment of
12155-841: The Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid by lease only. Sales of the Honda CR-Z began in Japan in February 2010, followed by the U.S. and European markets later in the year, becoming Honda's third hybrid electric car in the market. Honda also launched the 2011 Honda Fit Hybrid in Japan in October 2010, and unveiled the European version, the Honda Jazz Hybrid, at the 2010 Paris Motor Show , which went on sale in some European markets by early 2011. Mass production of
12342-585: The Mercury Milan Hybrid . The Hyundai Elantra LPI Hybrid was unveiled at the 2009 Seoul Motor Show , and sales began in the South Korean domestic market in July 2009. The Elantra LPI (Liquefied Petroleum Injected) is the world's first hybrid vehicle to be powered by an internal combustion engine built to run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as a fuel. The Elantra PLI is a mild hybrid and
12529-747: The Peugeot 308 Bioflex, the Citroën C4 Bioflex, the Audi A5 , two models of the Cadillac BLS , and five Volvo models are also available in the German market by 2008. Since 2011, Dacia offers the Logan MCV with a 1.6l 16v flexfuel engine. Ireland is the third best seller European market of E85 flex-fuel vehicles, after Sweden and France. Bioethanol (E85) in Ireland is made from whey ,
12716-530: The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) found that oil companies prevent or discourage affiliated retailers from selling E85 through rigid franchise and branding agreements, restrictive supply contracts, and other tactics. The report showed independent retailers are five times more likely to offer E85 than retailers carrying an oil company brand. In January 2007 GM brought UK-sourced Saab 9-5 Biopower E85 flex-fuel vehicles to Australia as
12903-704: The Tokachi 24 Hours race in July 2007. BMW has used regenerative braking on their E90 3 Series as well as in current models like F25 5 Series under the EfficientDynamics moniker. Volkswagen have regenerative braking technologies under the BlueMotion brand in such models as the Volkswagen Golf Mk7 and Mk7 Golf Estate / Wagon models, other VW group brands like SEAT , Skoda and Audi . KTM racing boss Harald Bartol has revealed that
13090-401: The U.S. Department of Energy estimated that in 2011 only 862,837 flex-fuel fleet-operated vehicles were regularly fueled with E85. As a result, from all the ethanol fuel consumed in the country in 2009, only 1% was E85 consumed by flex-fuel vehicles. The E85 blend is used in gasoline engines modified to accept such higher concentrations of ethanol, and the fuel injection is regulated through
13277-426: The brakes . Similarly, with rheostatic brakes , energy is recovered by using electric motors as generators but is immediately dissipated as heat in resistors . In addition to improving the overall efficiency of the vehicle, regeneration can significantly extend the life of the braking system. This is because the traditional mechanical parts like discs, calipers, and pads – included for when regenerative braking alone
13464-451: The traction motor connections are altered to turn them into electrical generators. The motor fields are connected across the main traction generator (MG) and the motor armatures are connected across the load. The MG now excites the motor fields. The rolling locomotive or multiple unit wheels turn the motor armatures, and the motors act as generators, either sending the generated current through onboard resistors ( dynamic braking ) or back into
13651-710: The vehicle excise duty (VED); and a 2% annual company car tax discount for flex-fuel cars. Despite the small number of E85 pump stations available, limited to the Morrisons supermarket chain stations, most automakers offer the same models in the UK that are available in the European market. In 2005 the Ford Focus Flexi-Fuel became the first flexible-fuel car sold in the UK, though E85 pumps were not opened until 2006. Volvo now offers its flexifuel models S80 , S40 , C30 , V50 and V70 . Other models available in
13838-464: The " range anxiety " associated with all-electric vehicles, because the combustion engine works as a backup when the batteries are depleted. In December 2018, Toyota do Brasil announced the development of the world's first commercial hybrid electric car with flex-fuel engine capable of running with electricity and ethanol fuel or gasoline. The flexible fuel hybrid technology was developed in partnership with several Brazilian federal universities, and
14025-555: The "Big Three" would be able to move from the concept phase to cost effective, pre-production prototype vehicles by 2004, as set out in Goal 3. The program was replaced by the hydrogen-focused FreedomCAR initiative by the George W. Bush administration in 2001, an initiative to fund research too risky for the private sector to engage in, with the long-term goal of developing effectively carbon emission- and petroleum-free vehicles. 1998 saw
14212-672: The 1950s and is exemplified in such systems as the Zytek , Flybrid, Torotrak and Xtrac used in F1. Differential based systems also exist such as the Cambridge Passenger/Commercial Vehicle Kinetic Energy Recovery System (CPC-KERS). Xtrac and Flybrid are both licensees of Torotrak's technologies, which employ a small and sophisticated ancillary gearbox incorporating a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The CPC-KERS
14399-535: The 2000 first generation Honda Insight as the all-time EPA -rated most fuel efficient gasoline-powered car available in the U.S. without plug-in capability . In late 2017 Chevy introduced the Chevy ZH2 that runs on hydrogen fuel cells. The ZH2 was built especially for the U.S. Regenerative brake Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy or potential energy into
14586-573: The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid version. For the 2009 model year, General Motors released the same technology in their half-ton pickup truck models, the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Two-Mode Hybrid models. The Ford Fusion Hybrid officially debuted at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2008, and was launched to the U.S. market in March 2009, together with the second-generation Honda Insight and
14773-617: The 2011 Toyota Auris Hybrid began in May 2010 at Toyota Manufacturing UK (TMUK) Burnaston plant and became the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle to be built in Europe. Sales in the UK began in July 2010, at a price starting at £18,950 ( US$ 27,450 ), £550 ( US$ 800 ) less than the Toyota Prius . The 2011 Auris Hybrid shares the same powertrain as the Prius, and combined fuel economy is 74.3 mpg ‑imp (3.80 L/100 km; 61.9 mpg ‑US ). The 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid
14960-407: The 2011 model year there are about 70 vehicles E85 capable, including sedans , vans , SUVs and pick-up trucks . Many of the models available in the market are trucks and sport-utility vehicles getting less than 20 mpg ‑US (12 L/100 km; 24 mpg ‑imp ) when filled with gasoline. Actual consumption of E85 among flex-fuel vehicle owners is limited. Nevertheless,
15147-543: The 2020s, most vehicles equipped with regenerative braking can completely halt reasonably quickly in One Pedal Driving mode. Some car models do not illuminate the braking light when engaging in regenerative braking, leading to safety concerns. Most regulations do not mandate the illumination of a braking light when the vehicle decelerates through regenerative braking. The One Pedal Driving (OPD) mode also lead to concerns over sudden unintended acceleration (SUA), as
15334-589: The 3 million-unit milestone in October 2013. The 4 million mark was reached in March 2015. Flexible-fuel vehicles were introduced in Sweden as a demonstration test in 1994, when three Ford Taurus were imported to show the technology existed. Because of the existing interest, a project was started in 1995 with 50 Ford Taurus E85 flexifuel in different parts of Sweden: Umeå , Örnsköldsvik , Härnösand , Stockholm , Karlstad , Linköping , and Växjö . From 1997 to 1998 an additional 300 Taurus were imported, and
15521-567: The Audi Duo (the Audi C3 100 Avant Duo ) experimental vehicle, a plug-in parallel hybrid based on the Audi 100 Avant quattro . This car had a 9.4 kilowatts (12.8 PS ; 12.6 bhp ) Siemens electric motor which drove the rear roadwheels. A trunk -mounted nickel–cadmium battery supplied energy to the motor that drove the rear wheels. The vehicle's front roadwheels were powered by
15708-719: The BAS-equipped Malibu is still in (limited) production. In 2007, Lexus released a hybrid electric version of their GS sport sedan, the GS 450h , with a power output of 335 bhp. The 2007 Camry Hybrid became available in summer 2006 in the United States and Canada. Nissan launched the Altima Hybrid with technology licensed by Toyota in 2007. Commencing in fall 2007, General Motors began to market their 2008 Two-Mode Hybrid models of their GMT900 -based Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs, closely followed by
15895-439: The Brazilian registered stock of light-duty vehicles, while gasoline only vehicles represented 34.3%. As of June 2015 , flex-fuel light-duty vehicle sales totaled 25.5 million units. The market share of flex vehicles reached 88.6% of all light-duty registrations in 2017. As of March 2018 , fifteen years after the launch of the first flex fuel car, there were 30.5 million flex cars and light trucks registered in
16082-479: The Corolla Altis flex-fuel hybrid represented almost 25% of all Corolla sales in the country. To take advantage of the emission reduction potential of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), appropriate design of their energy management systems (EMSs) to control the power flow between the engine and the battery is essential. In a conventional (non-hybrid) vehicle, there is no need for an energy management strategy:
16269-506: The FFVs are popularly known as "total flex" or simply "flex" cars. In Europe, FFVs are also known as "flexifuel" vehicles. Automakers, particularly in Brazil and the European market, use badging in their FFV models with the some variant of the word "flex", such as Volvo Flexifuel , or Volkswagen Total Flex , or Chevrolet FlexPower or Renault Hi-Flex , and Ford sells its Focus model in Europe as Flexifuel and as Flex in Brazil. In
16456-459: The FOTA teams agreeing to the use of KERS devices once more, meant that KERS returned for the 2011 season. This is still optional as it was in the 2009 season; in the 2011 season 3 teams elected not to use it. For the 2012 season , only Marussia and HRT raced without KERS, and by 2013, with the withdrawal of HRT, all 11 teams on the grid were running KERS. In the 2014 season , the power output of
16643-452: The KERS controller for power and battery management. Bosch also offers a range of electric hybrid systems for commercial and light-duty applications. Automakers including Honda have been testing KERS systems. At the 2008 1,000 km of Silverstone , Peugeot Sport unveiled the Peugeot 908 HY , a hybrid electric variant of the diesel 908, with KERS. Peugeot planned to campaign the car in
16830-499: The Krieger design, could only practically be used on downhill portions of a trip, and had to be manually engaged. Improvements in electronics allowed this process to be fully automated, starting with 1967's AMC Amitron experimental electric car. Designed by Gulton Industries the motor controller automatically began battery charging when the brake pedal was applied. Many modern hybrid and electric vehicles use this technique to extend
17017-529: The MGU-K (The replacement of the KERS and part of the ERS system that also includes a turbocharger waste heat recovery system) was increased from 60 kW to 120 kW and it was allowed to recover 2 mega- joules per lap. This was to balance the sport's move from 2.4-litre V8 engines to 1.6-litre V6 engines. The fail-safe settings of the brake-by-wire system that now supplements KERS came under examination as
17204-553: The Metropolitan and District Lines. What are described as dynamic brakes (" rheostatic brakes " in British English) on electric traction systems, unlike regenerative brakes, dissipate electric energy as heat rather than using it, by passing the current through large banks of resistors . Vehicles that use dynamic brakes include forklift trucks , diesel-electric locomotives , and trams . This heat can be used to warm
17391-594: The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Ford, Volvo and Saab are the main automakers offering flexifuel autos in the region. Biofuel cars in general get strong tax incentives in France, including a 0 or 50% reduction on the tax on new vehicles, and a 40% reduction on CO 2 tax for new cars. For company cars there is a corporate car tax free for two years and
17578-524: The Patton Motor Car, a gas-electric hybrid system used to drive tram cars and small locomotives . A gasoline engine drove a generator that served to charge a lead acid battery in parallel with the traction motors. A conventional series-parallel controller was used for the traction motors . A prototype was built in 1889, an experimental tram car was run in Pullman, Illinois , in 1891, and
17765-723: The Swedish fleet of E85 flexifuel vehicles is the result of the National Climate Policy in Global Cooperation Bill passed in 2005, which not only ratified the Kyoto Protocol but also sought to meet the 2003 EU Biofuels Directive regarding targets for use of biofuels , and also let to the 2006 government's commitment to eliminate oil imports by 2020. In order to achieve these goals several government incentives were implemented. Ethanol, as
17952-488: The Toyota Prius liftback, with cumulative sales of 5 million units. The Prius nameplate had sold more than 6 million hybrids up to January 2017. Global Lexus hybrid sales achieved the 1 million unit milestone in March 2016. As of January 2017, the conventional Prius is the all-time best-selling hybrid car in both Japan and the U.S., with sales of over 1.8 million in Japan and 1.75 million in
18139-408: The U.S. Hybrid electric vehicles can be classified according to the way in which power is supplied to the drivetrain: In each of the hybrids above it is common to use regenerative braking to recharge the batteries. A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), also known as a plug-in hybrid, is a hybrid electric vehicle with rechargeable batteries that can be restored to full charge by connecting
18326-722: The U.S. during 2012 are the Audi Q5 Hybrid , BMW 5 Series ActiveHybrid , BMW 3 series Hybrid , Ford C-Max Hybrid , Acura ILX Hybrid . Also during 2012 were released the next generation of Toyota Camry Hybrid and the Ford Fusion Hybrid , both of which offer significantly improved fuel economy in comparison with their previous generations. The 2013 models of the Toyota Avalon Hybrid and the Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid were released in
18513-707: The U.S. in 2011. VW also announced plans to introduce diesel -electric hybrid versions of its most popular models in 2012, beginning with the new Jetta , followed by the Golf Hybrid in 2013 together with hybrid versions of the Passat . Other gasoline-electric hybrids released in the U.S. in 2011 were the Lexus CT 200h , the Infiniti M35 Hybrid , the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and its sibling
18700-652: The U.S. in December 2012. Global sales of the Toyota Prius liftback passed the 3 million milestone in June 2013. The Prius liftbak is available in almost 80 countries and regions, and it is the world's best-selling hybrid electric vehicle. Toyota released the hybrid versions of the Corolla Axio sedan and Corolla Fielder station wagon in Japan in August 2013. Both cars are equipped with a 1.5-liter hybrid system similar to
18887-546: The U.S. in October 2009. The S400 BlueHybrid is a mild hybrid and the first hybrid car to adopt a lithium-ion battery . The hybrid technology in the S400 was co-developed by Daimler AG and BMW . The same hybrid technology is being used in the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 , expected to go on sales in the U.S. and Europe by mid-2010. In December 2009 BMW began sales of its full hybrid BMW ActiveHybrid X6 , while Daimler launched
19074-649: The U.S. in October 2011, is the first spinoff from the Prius family. Sales in Japan began in May 2011 as the Prius Alpha. The European version, named Prius +, was launched in June 2012. The Prius Aqua was launched in Japan in December 2011, and was released as the Toyota Prius c in the U.S. in March 2012. The Prius c was launched in Australia in April 2012. The production version of the 2012 Toyota Yaris Hybrid went on sale in Europe in June 2012. Other hybrids released in
19261-778: The UK are the Ford C-Max Flexi-Fuel, and the Saab models 9-5 and 9-3 Flex-Fuel Biopower, and the new Saab Aero X BioPower E100 bioethanol. Despite being introduced around a decade ago, E85 is no longer commercially available in the UK As of 2017 , there were more than 21 million E85 flex-fuel vehicles in the United States, up from about 11 million flex-fuel cars and light trucks in operation as of early 2013. The number of flex-fuel vehicles on U.S. roads increased from 1.4 million in 2001, to 4.1 million in 2005, and rose to 7.3 million in 2008. For
19448-832: The US, only since 2008 FFV models feature a yellow gas cap with the label "E85/Gasoline" written on the top of the cap to differentiate E85s from gasoline only models. Flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) are based on dual-fuel systems that supply both fuels into the combustion chamber at the same time in various calibrated proportions. The most common fuels used by FFVs today are unleaded gasoline and ethanol fuel. Ethanol FFVs can run on pure gasoline, pure ethanol (E100) or any combination of both. Methanol has also been blended with gasoline in flex-fuel vehicles known as M85 FFVs, but their use has been limited mainly to demonstration projects and small government fleets, particularly in California. The Ford Model T , produced from 1908 through 1927,
19635-456: The US, with more favorable prices in the Midwest region, where most corn is grown and ethanol produced. Depending on the vehicle capabilities, the break-even price of E85 has to be between 25 and 30% lower than gasoline. A 2005 survey found that 68% of American flex-fuel car owners were not aware they owned an E85 flex. This was because the exteriors of flex and non-flex vehicles look exactly
19822-520: The United States (27 million by the end of 2021), Canada (1.6 million by 2014), and Europe, led by Sweden (243,100). In addition to flex-fuel vehicles running with ethanol, in Europe and the US, mainly in California , there have been successful test programs with methanol flex-fuel vehicles, known as M85 flex-fuel vehicles. There have been also successful tests using P-series fuels with E85 flex fuel vehicles, but as of June 2008, this fuel
20009-438: The United States was stimulated by the discovery in the late 90s that methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) , an oxygenate additive in gasoline, was contaminating groundwater. Due to the risks of widespread and costly litigation, and because MTBE use in gasoline was banned in almost 20 states by 2006, the substitution of MTBE opened a new market for ethanol fuel. This demand shift for ethanol as an oxygenate additive took place at
20196-838: The Volvo ECC used a gas turbine engine to drive the generator for recharging. The Clinton administration initiated the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) program on 29 September 1993, that involved Chrysler , Ford , General Motors , USCAR , the DoE , and other various governmental agencies to engineer the next efficient and clean vehicle. The United States National Research Council (USNRC) cited automakers ' moves to produce HEVs as evidence that technologies developed under PNGV were being rapidly adopted on production lines , as called for under Goal 2. Based on information received from automakers, NRC reviewers questioned whether
20383-407: The automotive market of the future. As of April 2020, over 17 million hybrid electric vehicles have been sold worldwide since their inception in 1997. Japan has the world's largest hybrid electric vehicle fleet with 7.5 million hybrids registered as of March 2018. Japan also has the world's highest hybrid market penetration with hybrids representing 19.0% of all passenger cars on
20570-602: The brakes and by igniting oxyhydrogen gas. No production beyond the prototype was reported. During the Second World War, Ferdinand Porsche sought to use his firm's experience in hybrid drivetrain design for powering armored fighting vehicles for Nazi Germany. A series of designs, starting with the VK 3001 (P) , the unsuccessful VK 4501 (P) heavy tank prototype (which became the Elefant tank destroyer) and concluding with
20757-456: The consumers to choose the fuel depending on current market prices. As ethanol fuel economy is lower than gasoline because of ethanol's energy content is close to 34% less per unit volume than gasoline, flex cars running on ethanol get a lower mileage than when running on pure gasoline. However, this effect is partially offset by the usually lower price per liter of ethanol fuel. As a rule of thumb , Brazilian consumers are frequently advised by
20944-423: The country, and 6 million flex motorcycles. The rapid success of flex vehicles was made possible by the existence of 33,000 filling stations with at least one ethanol pump available by 2006, a heritage of the early Pró-Álcool ethanol program. These facts, together with the mandatory use of E25 blend of gasoline throughout the country, allowed Brazil in 2008 to achieve more than 50% of fuel consumption in
21131-399: The dangers of oil dependence. This crisis opened a new opportunity for ethanol and other alternative fuels , such as methanol , gaseous fuels such as CNG and LPG , and also hydrogen . Ethanol, methanol and natural gas were the three alternative fuels that received more attention for research and development , and government support. Since 1975, and as a response to the shock caused by
21318-521: The development of alcohol vehicle technology was getting all of the fuel system materials compatible with the higher chemical reactivity of the fuel. Methanol was even more of a challenge than ethanol but much of the early experience gained with neat ethanol vehicle production in Brazil was transferable to methanol. The success of this small experimental fleet of M100s led California to request more of these vehicles, mainly for government fleets. In 1983, Ford built 582 M100 vehicles; 501 went to California, and
21505-404: The driver could confuse the accelerator as the brake in stressful situations when the latter is seldomly used during OPD driving. Electric motors , when used in reverse, function as generators and will then convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Vehicles propelled by electric motors use them as generators when using regenerative braking, braking by transferring mechanical energy from
21692-399: The driver decides the instant power delivery using the brake and accelerator pedals and, in manual transmission vehicles, decides which gear is engaged at any time. In a hybrid vehicle, on the other hand, there is an additional decision that must be taken due to its ability to recover energy during braking or driving downhill: how much power is delivered by each of the energy sources on-board of
21879-506: The end of the 1990s, the emphasis shifted to the FFV E85 version, as it is today. Ethanol was preferred over methanol because there is a large support from the farming community, and thanks to the government's incentive programs and corn-based ethanol subsidies available at the time. Sweden also tested both the M85 and the E85 flexifuel vehicles, but due to agriculture policy, in the end emphasis
22066-415: The end of the 1990s. The Brazilian flexible fuel car is built with an ethanol-ready engine and one fuel tank for both fuels. The small gasoline reservoir for starting the engine in cold weather, used in earlier neat ethanol vehicles , was kept to avoid start up problems in the central and southern regions, where winter temperatures normally drop below 15 °C (59 °F). An improved flex motor generation
22253-423: The energy is stored chemically in a battery , electrically in a bank of capacitors , or mechanically in a rotating flywheel . Hydraulic hybrid vehicles use hydraulic motors to store energy in the form of compressed air . In a hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle, the electrical energy generated by the motor is stored chemically in a battery, similar to battery and hybrid electric vehicles. Regenerative braking
22440-508: The ethanol content below the E75 winter blend, or simply not to use E85 during extreme low temperature spells. Sweden has achieved the largest E85 flexible-fuel vehicle fleet in Europe, with a sharp growth from 717 vehicles in 2001 to 243,136 through December 2014. As of 2008 a total of 70% of all flexifuel vehicles operating in the EU were registered in Sweden. The recent and accelerated growth of
22627-570: The ethanol content is set to reduce ethanol emissions at low temperatures and to avoid cold starting problems during cold weather, at temperatures lower than 11 °C (52 °F ). The alcohol content is reduced during the winter in regions where temperatures fall below 0 °C (32 °F) to a winter blend of E70 in the U.S. or to E75 in Sweden from November until March. Brazilian flex fuel vehicles are optimized to run on any mix of E20-E25 gasoline and up to 100% hydrous ethanol fuel (E100). The Brazilian flex vehicles were built-in with
22814-490: The factory raced with a secret kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) fitted to Tommy Koyama 's motorcycle during the 2008 season-ending 125cc Valencian Grand Prix . This was against the rules, so they were banned from doing it afterwards. Automobile Club de l'Ouest , the organizer behind the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans event and the Le Mans Series , was "studying specific rules for LMP1 that will be equipped with
23001-458: The first flex-fuel plug-in hybrid as part of a demonstration project, a Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid capable of running on E85 or gasoline. General Motors announced that the new Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid , launched in the United States market in December 2010, would be flex-fuel-capable in 2013. General Motors do Brasil announced that it will import from five to ten Volts to Brazil during
23188-408: The first hybrid to adopt advanced lithium polymer (Li–Poly) batteries. The Elantra LPI Hybrid delivers a fuel economy rating of 41.9 miles per US gallon (5.61 L/100 km; 50.3 mpg ‑imp ) and CO 2 emissions of 99 g/km to qualify as a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV). The Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid was unveiled in the 2009 Chicago Auto Show , and sales began in
23375-479: The first oil crisis, the Brazilian government implemented the National Alcohol Program - Pró-Álcool - ( Portuguese : Programa Nacional do Álcool ), a nationwide program financed by the government to phase out automotive fuels derived from fossil fuels in favor of ethanol made from sugar cane . It began with a low blend of anhydrous alcohol with regular gasoline in 1976, and since July 2007
23562-574: The first semester of 2011 as part of a demonstration and also to lobby the federal government to enact financial incentives for green cars . If successful, GM would adapt the Volt to operate on ethanol fuel , as most new cars sold in Brazil are flex-fuel. In 2008, Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford pledged to manufacture 50 percent of their entire vehicle line as flexible fuel in model year 2012, if enough fueling infrastructure develops. The Open Fuel Standard Act (OFS), introduced to Congress in May 2011,
23749-447: The flexifuel version of its Focus model, delivering the first cars in 2001, and selling more than 15,000 FFV Focus by 2005, then representing an 80% market share of the flexifuel market. In 2005 both Volvo and Saab introduced to the Sweden market their flexifuel models. Saab began selling its 9-5 2.0 Biopower , joined in 2006 by its 9-5 2.3 Biopower. Volvo introduced its S40 and V50 with flexible-fuel engines, joined in late 2006 by
23936-487: The gasoline market from sugar cane-based ethanol. According to two separate research studies conducted in 2009, at the national level 65% of the flex-fuel registered vehicles regularly used ethanol fuel, and the usage climbed to 93% in São Paulo , the main ethanol producer state where local taxes are lower, and prices at the pump are more competitive than gasoline. However, as a result of higher ethanol prices caused by
24123-415: The government was also a response to the first oil crisis, and some time later, as a goal to improve air quality. Also, liquid fuels were preferred over gaseous fuels not only because they have a better volumetric energy density but also because they were the most compatible fuels with existing distribution systems and engines, thus avoiding a big departure from the existing technologies and taking advantage of
24310-617: The heaviest armored fighting vehicle ever prototyped, the Panzerkampfwagen Maus of nearly 190 tonnes in weight, were just two examples of a number of planned Wehrmacht "weapons systems" (including the highly-"electrified" subsystems on the Fw 191 bomber project ), crippled in their development by the then-substandard supplies of electrical-grade copper , required for the electric final drives on Porsche's armored fighting vehicle powertrain designs. The regenerative braking system ,
24497-423: The introduction in the Spaniard market of several flexifuel models, by the end of 2008 still persists the problems of adequate E85 fueling infrastructure, as only 10 gas stations were selling E85 fuel to the public in the entire country. The UK government established several incentives for E85 flex-fuel vehicles. These include a fuel duty rebate on E85 fuel of 20 p per liter, until 2010; a £ 10 to 15 reduction in
24684-457: The introduction of hybrid cars, Japan became in 2014 the first country to reach sales of over 1 million hybrid cars in a single year, and also the Japanese market surpassed the United States as the world's largest hybrid market. The redesigned and more efficient fourth generation Prius was released for retail customers in Japan in December 2015. The 2016 model year Prius Eco surpassed
24871-416: The main reasons that not all cars used KERS immediately is because it raises the car's center of gravity, and reduces the amount of ballast that is available to balance the car so that it is more predictable when turning. FIA rules also limit the exploitation of the system. The concept of transferring the vehicle's kinetic energy using flywheel energy storage was postulated by physicist Richard Feynman in
25058-436: The mandatory blend is 25% of alcohol or gasohol E25 . In 1979, and as a response to the second oil crisis , the first vehicle capable of running with pure hydrous ethanol (E100) was launched to the market, the Fiat 147 , after testing with several prototypes developed by Fiat , Volkswagen , GM and Ford . The Brazilian government provided three important initial drivers for the ethanol industry: guaranteed purchases by
25245-452: The media to use more alcohol than gasoline in their mix only when ethanol prices are 30% lower or more than gasoline, as ethanol price fluctuates heavily depending on the result of seasonal sugar cane harvests. In March 2003 Volkswagen do Brasil launched in the market the Gol 1.6 Total Flex, the first commercial flexible fuel vehicle capable of running on any blend of gasoline and ethanol. GM do Brasil followed three months later with
25432-414: The milestone of 10 million vehicles in March 2010. At the end of 2012 registrations of flex-fuel cars and light trucks represented 87% of all passenger and light duty vehicles sold in the country in 2012, and climbed to a 94% market share of all new passenger vehicles sales in 2013. Production passed the 20 million-unit mark in June 2013. By the end of 2014, flex-fuel cars represented 54% of
25619-414: The motors rotate with the supply frequency both when driving and braking. Kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) were used for the motor sport Formula One 's 2009 season , and are under development for road vehicles. KERS was abandoned for the 2010 Formula One season , but re-introduced for the 2011 season . By 2013 , all teams were using KERS with Marussia F1 starting use for the 2013 season. One of
25806-681: The new C30 . All Volvo models were initially restricted to the Sweden market, until 2007, when these three models were launched in eight new European markets. In 2007, Saab also started selling a BioPower version of its popular Saab 9-3 line. In 2008 the Saab-derived Cadillac BLS was introduced with E85 compatible engines, and Volvo launched the V70 with a 2.5-litre turbocharged Flexifuel engine. All flexible-fuel vehicles in Sweden use an E75 winter blend instead of E85 to avoid engine starting problems during cold weather. This blend
25993-499: The non-hybrid version, but delivers 50 miles per US gallon (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpg ‑imp ), a 40 percent increase compared to a conventional Civic LX sedan. Along with the conventional Civic, it received a styling update for 2004. The redesigned 2004 Toyota Prius (second generation) improved passenger room, cargo area, and power output, while increasing energy efficiency and reducing emissions. The Honda Insight first generation stopped being produced after 2006 and has
26180-472: The number of E85 fueling grew to 40. Then in 1998 the city of Stockholm placed an order for 2,000 of FFVs for any car manufacturer willing to produce them. The objective was to jump-start the FFV industry in Sweden. The two domestic car makers Volvo Group and Saab AB refused to participate arguing there were not in place any ethanol filling stations. However, Ford Motor Company took the offer and began importing
26367-644: The number of E85 pumps is expected to reach by 2009 nearly 60% of Sweden's 4,000 filling stations. The Swedish-made Koenigsegg Jesko 300 , the low downforce version of the Koenigsegg Jesko , is currently the fastest and most powerful flexible fuel vehicle with its turbocharged V8 producing over 1600 hp when running on biofuel, as compared to 1280 hp on 95 octane unleaded gasoline. Flexifuel vehicles are sold in 18 European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy,
26554-568: The one used in the Prius c. Sales of the Honda Vezel Hybrid SUV began in Japan began in December 2013. The Range Rover Hybrid diesel-powered electric hybrid was unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show , and retail deliveries in Europe are slated to start in early 2014. Ford Motor Company , the world's second largest manufacturer of hybrids after Toyota Motor Corporation , reached the milestone of 400,000 hybrid electric vehicles produced in November 2014. After 18 years since
26741-548: The only patent relating to the hybrid electric vehicle, the patent was important based on 120+ subsequent patents directly citing it. The patent was issued in the U.S. and the system was not prototyped or commercialized. In 1988, Alfa Romeo built three prototypes of the Alfa 33 Hybrid, equipped with the tried and tested Alfasud boxer engine (1,500cc, 95 HP) combined with a three-phase asynchronous electric motor (16 HP, 6.1 kgm of torque) supplied by Ansaldo of Genoa . The design
26928-550: The other biofuels, was exempted of both, the CO 2 and energy taxes until 2009, resulting in a 30% price reduction at the pump of E85 fuel over gasoline. Furthermore, other demand side incentives for flexifuel vehicle owners include a US$ 1,800 bonus to buyers of FFVs, exemption from the Stockholm congestion tax , up to 20% discount on auto insurance, free parking spaces in most of the largest cities, owner annual registration taxes, and
27115-432: The potential fines for not achieving that standard in a given model year. The CAFE standards proposed in 2011 for the period 2017–2025 will allow flexible-fuel vehicles to receive extra credit but only when the carmakers present data proving how much E85 such vehicles have actually consumed. A major restriction hampering sales of E85 flex vehicles, or fueling with E85, is the limited infrastructure available to sell E85 to
27302-658: The program was stopped by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1976 while Eric Stork, the head of the EPA's vehicle emissions control program at the time, was accused of a prejudicial coverup . In 1979 the Fiat 131 Ibrido was presented in Detroit, a marching prototype made by the CRF (Fiat Research Center). The engine compartment was composed by the 903cc borrowed from
27489-504: The prototype Lanchester petrol-electric car was made in 1927. It was not a success, but the vehicle is on display in Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum . The United States Army 's 1928 Experimental Motorized Force tested a gasoline-electric bus in a truck convoy. In 1931, Erich Gaichen invented and drove from Altenburg to Berlin a 1/2 horsepower electric car containing features later incorporated into hybrid cars. Its maximum speed
27676-488: The public with only 2% of the motor fuel stations offering E85 by March 2014. As of November 2015 , there were only 3,218 fueling stations selling E85 to the public in the entire U.S., while about 156,000 retail motor fuel outlets do not offer any ethanol blend. In addition, there has been a great concentration of E85 stations in the Corn Belt states. The main constraint for a more rapid expansion of E85 availability
27863-410: The range of the battery pack, especially those using an AC drive train (most earlier designs used DC power). An AC/DC rectifier and a very large capacitor may be used to store the regenerated energy, rather than a battery. The use of a capacitor allows much more rapid peak storage of energy, and at higher voltages. Mazda used this system in some 2018 cars, where it is branded i-ELOOP. During braking,
28050-474: The remaining to New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, United Kingdom, and Canada. As an answer to the lack of refueling infrastructure, Ford began development of a flexible-fuel vehicle in 1982, and between 1985 and 1992, 705 experimental FFVs were built and delivered to California and Canada, including the 1.6L Ford Escort, the 3.0L Taurus , and the 5.0L LTD Crown Victoria . These vehicles could operate on either gasoline or methanol with only one fuel system. Legislation
28237-679: The road as of March 2018, both figures excluding kei cars . As of December 2020, the U.S. ranked second with cumulative sales of 5.8 million units since 1999, and, as of July 2020, Europe listed third with 3.0 million cars delivered since 2000. Global sales are led by the Toyota Motor Corporation with more than 15 million Lexus and Toyota hybrids sold as of January 2020, followed by Honda Motor Co., Ltd. with cumulative global sales of more than 1.35 million hybrids as of June 2014; As of September 2022, worldwide hybrid sales are led by
28424-457: The rolling direction. Braking effort is proportional to the product of the magnetic strength of the field windings, multiplied by that of the armature windings. Savings of 17%, and less wear on friction braking components, are claimed for British Rail Class 390s . The Delhi Metro reduced the amount of carbon dioxide ( CO 2 ) released into the atmosphere by around 90,000 tons by regenerating 112,500 megawatt hours of electricity through
28611-413: The same common tank. Modern flex-fuel engines are capable of burning any proportion of the resulting blend in the combustion chamber as fuel injection and spark timing are adjusted automatically according to the actual blend detected by a fuel composition sensor. Flex-fuel vehicles are distinguished from bi-fuel vehicles , where two fuels are stored in separate tanks and the engine runs on one fuel at
28798-537: The same engine. Two years later, Audi, unveiled the second duo generation, the Audi 100 Duo – likewise based on the Audi 100 Avant quattro. Once again, this featured an electric motor, a 21.3 kilowatts (29.0 PS; 28.6 bhp) three-phase machine, driving the rear roadwheels. This time, however, the rear wheels were additionally powered via the Torsen centre differential from the main engine compartment, which housed
28985-516: The same; there is no sale price difference between them; the lack of consumers' awareness about E85s; and also the initial decision of American automakers of not putting any kind of exterior labeling, so buyers could be unaware they are purchasing an E85 vehicle. Since 2008, all new FFV models in the US feature a bright yellow gas cap to remind drivers of the E85 capabilities and proper flex-fuel badging. Some critics have argued that American automakers have been producing E85 flex models motivated by
29172-477: The specific application: in most cases, the strategies tend to minimize the fuel consumption, but optimization objectives could also include the minimization of pollutant emissions, maximization of battery life or—in general—a compromise among all the above goals. William H. Patton filed a patent application for a gasoline-electric hybrid rail-car propulsion system in early 1889, and for a similar hybrid boat propulsion system in mid-1889. He went on to test and market
29359-493: The speed of the cars or keeping it in control on descending gradients, the motors worked as generators and braked the vehicles. The tram cars also had wheel brakes and track slipper brakes which could stop the tram should the electric braking systems fail. In several cases the tram car motors were shunt wound instead of series wound, and the systems on the Crystal Palace line utilized series-parallel controllers. Following
29546-399: The state-owned oil company Petrobras , low-interest loans for agro-industrial ethanol firms, and fixed gasoline and ethanol prices. After reaching more than 4 million cars and light trucks running on pure ethanol by the late 1980s, the use of E100-only vehicles sharply declined after increases in sugar prices produced shortages of ethanol fuel. After extensive research that began in the 90s,
29733-492: The steep and dangerous Surami Pass . In Scandinavia the Kiruna to Narvik electrified railway, known as Malmbanan on the Swedish side and Ofoten Line on the Norwegian, carries iron ore on the steeply-graded route from the mines in Kiruna , in the north of Sweden, down to the port of Narvik in Norway to this day. The rail cars are full of thousands of tons of iron ore on the way down to Narvik, and these trains generate large amounts of electricity by regenerative braking, with
29920-422: The summer 2007. Biofuel emphasis in Germany is on biodiesel , and no specific incentives have been granted for E85 flex-fuel cars; however, there is complete exemption of taxes on all biofuels while there is a normal tax of €0.65 per liter of petroleum fuels. The distribution of E85 began in 2005, and with 219 stations as of September 2008, Germany ranks second after Sweden with the most E85 fueling stations in
30107-400: The supply (regenerative braking). Compared to electro-pneumatic friction brakes, braking with the traction motors can be regulated faster improving the performance of wheel slide protection . For a given direction of travel, current flow through the motor armatures during braking will be opposite to that during motoring. Therefore, the motor exerts torque in a direction that is opposite from
30294-568: The use of regenerative braking systems between 2004 and 2007. It was expected that the Delhi Metro would reduce its emissions by over 100,000 tons of CO 2 per year once its phase II was complete, through the use of regenerative braking. Electricity generated by regenerative braking may be fed back into the traction power supply; either offset against other electrical demand on the network at that instant, used for head end power loads, or stored in lineside storage systems for later use. A form of what can be described as regenerative braking
30481-413: The value added tax (VAT) on the fuel can also be claimed back. E-85 fuel is available across the country in more than 20 of Maxol service stations. In October 2005, the 1.8 Ford Focus FFV became the first flexible-fuel vehicle to be commercially sold in Ireland. Later Ford launched the C-max and the Mondeo flexifuel models. Saab and Volvo also have E85 models available. From 1 January 2011 E85 fuel
30668-412: The vehicle and the refueling infrastructure. California led the search of sustainable alternatives with interest focused in methanol. Ford Motor Company and other automakers responded to California's request for vehicles that run on methanol. In 1981, Ford delivered 40 dedicated methanol fuel (M100) Escorts to Los Angeles County , but only four refueling stations were installed. The biggest challenge in
30855-543: The vehicle interior, or dissipated externally by large radiator -like cowls to house the resistor banks. General Electric's experimental 1936 steam turbine locomotives featured true regeneration. These two locomotives ran the steam water over the resistor packs, as opposed to air cooling used in most dynamic brakes. This energy displaced the oil normally burned to keep the water hot, and thereby recovered energy that could be used to accelerate again. The main disadvantage of regenerative brakes when compared with dynamic brakes
31042-468: The vehicle. The recovered energy can be stored in the battery and deployed at a later time to assist the prime mover to provide tractive power. This is why all hybrid vehicles include an energy management controller, interposed between the driver and the component controllers. As mentioned, the aim of the energy management system is to determine the optimal power split between the on-board energy sources. The decision regarding what to consider optimal depends on
31229-443: The wheels to an electrical load. In 1886 the Sprague Electric Railway & Motor Company, founded by Frank J. Sprague , introduced two important inventions: a constant-speed, non-sparking motor with fixed brushes, and regenerative braking. Early examples of this system in road vehicles were the front-wheel drive conversions of horse-drawn cabs by Louis Antoine Krieger in Paris in the 1890s. The Krieger electric landaulet had
31416-414: Was 25 miles per hour (40 km/h), but it was licensed by the Motor Transport Office, taxed by the German Revenue Department and patented by the German Reichs-Patent Amt. The car battery was re-charged by the motor when the car went downhill. Additional power to charge the battery was provided by a cylinder of compressed air which was re-charged by small air pumps activated by vibrations of the chassis and
31603-404: Was 25.56% lower than unleaded gasoline. The American E85 flex-fuel vehicle was developed to run on any mixture of unleaded gasoline and ethanol, anywhere from 0% to 85% ethanol by volume. Both fuels are mixed in the same tank, and E85 is sold already blended. In order to reduce ethanol evaporative emissions and to avoid problems starting the engine during cold weather, the maximum blend of ethanol
31790-455: Was an integrated structural component of the vehicle. The Armstrong Phaeton's motor was too powerful; the torque damaged the carriage wheels repeatedly. In 1900, while employed at Lohner Coach Factory, Ferdinand Porsche developed the Mixte , a 4WD series-hybrid version of " System Lohner–Porsche " electric carriage that previously appeared in 1900 Paris World Fair . George Fischer sold hybrid buses to England in 1901; Knight Neftal produced
31977-406: Was announced that Freescale Semiconductor would collaborate with McLaren Electronic Systems to further develop its KERS for McLaren's Formula One car from 2010 onwards. Both parties believed this collaboration would improve McLaren's KERS system and help the system filter down to road car technology. Toyota has used a supercapacitor for regeneration on a Supra HV-R hybrid race car that won
32164-426: Was avoiding the need for an additional dedicated sensor to monitor the ethanol-gasoline mix, which made the first American M85 flex fuel vehicles too expensive. Brazilian flex cars are capable of running on just hydrated ethanol (E100), or just on a blend of gasoline with 25 to 27% anhydrous ethanol (the mandatory blend), or on any arbitrary combination of both fuels. The flexibility of Brazilian FFVs empowers
32351-445: Was built by Victor Wouk (one of the scientists involved with the Henney Kilowatt , the first transistor-based electric car) and Dr. Charles L Rosen. Wouk's work with HEVs in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the title as the "Godfather of the Hybrid". They installed a prototype hybrid drivetrain (with a 16-kilowatt (21 hp) electric motor ) into a 1972 Buick Skylark provided by GM for the 1970 Federal Clean Car Incentive Program, but
32538-449: Was coupled with a 21 kilowatts (29 PS ; 28 bhp ) electric motor. Due to low demand for it because of its high price, only about sixty Audi Duos were produced. Until the release of the Audi Q7 Hybrid in 2008, the Duo was the only European hybrid ever put into production. The Honda Civic Hybrid was introduced in February 2002 as a 2003 model, based on the seventh-generation Civic . The 2003 Civic Hybrid appears identical to
32725-447: Was estimated at 61 miles per US gallon (3.9 L/100 km; 73 mpg ‑imp ) in city driving and 68 miles per US gallon (3.5 L/100 km; 82 mpg ‑imp ) on the highway. The Toyota Prius sold 300 units in 1997 and 19,500 in 2000, and cumulative worldwide Prius sales reached the one million mark in April 2008. By early 2010, the Prius global cumulative sales were estimated at 1.6 million units. Toyota launched
32912-449: Was fitted with a carburetor with adjustable jetting, allowing use of ethanol, gasoline or kerosene (each by itself), or a combination of the first two mentioned fuels. Other car manufactures also provided engines for ethanol fuel use. Henry Ford continued to advocate for ethanol as fuel even during Prohibition . However, cheaper oil caused gasoline to prevail, until the 1973 oil crisis resulted in gasoline shortages and awareness on
33099-433: Was given an electric shock when he touched Christian Klien 's KERS-equipped car during a test at the Jerez circuit . With the introduction of KERS in the 2009 season, four teams used it at some point in the season: Ferrari , Renault , BMW , and McLaren . During the season, Renault and BMW stopped using the system. McLaren Mercedes became the first team to win a F1 GP using a KERS equipped car when Lewis Hamilton won
33286-405: Was given to the ethanol flexifuel vehicles. Support for ethanol also comes from the fact that it is a biomass fuel, which addresses climate change concerns and greenhouse gas emissions , though nowadays these benefits are questioned and depend on the feedstock used for ethanol production and their indirect land use change impacts . The demand for ethanol fuel produced from field corn in
33473-410: Was introduced since the winter 2006–07 and E75 is used from November until March. For temperature below −15 °C (5 °F) E85 flex vehicles require an engine block heater. The use of this device is also recommended for gasoline vehicles when temperatures drop below −23 °C (−9 °F). Another option when extreme cold weather is expected is to add more pure gasoline in the tank, thus reducing
33660-480: Was launched by Honda in March 2009, the CG 150 Titan Mix . In September 2009, Honda launched a second flexible-fuel motorcycle, the on-off-road NXR 150 Bros Mix . By December 2012 the five available models of flexible-fuel motorcycles from Honda and Yamaha reached a cumulative production of 2,291,072 units, representing 31.8% of all motorcycles manufactured in Brazil since 2009, and 48.2% of motorcycle production in 2012. Flexible-fuel motorcycle production passed
33847-426: Was launched in 2009 and allowed to eliminate the need for this secondary gas reservoir tank. Another improvement was the reduction of fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions, between 10% and 15% as compared to flex motors sold in 2008. In March 2009 Volkswagen do Brasil launched the Polo E-Flex , the first flex fuel model without an auxiliary tank for cold start. A key innovation in the Brazilian flex technology
34034-438: Was passed to encourage the US auto industry to begin production, which started in 1993 for the M85 FFVs at Ford. In 1996, a new FFV Ford Taurus was developed, with models fully capable of running on either methanol or ethanol blended with gasoline. This ethanol version of the Taurus became the first commercial production of an E85 FFV. The momentum of the FFV production programs at the American car companies continued, although by
34221-421: Was realistic and already mass production-oriented, with minimal modifications to the standard body and a weight increase of only 150 kg (110 for the batteries, 20 for the electric engine and 10 for power electronics). The Alfa Romeo 33 Ibrida was able to travel up to 60 km/h in full electric mode, with a 5 km range, very good performance for the time. In 1989, Audi produced its first iteration of
34408-484: Was set to 85%. There is also a seasonal reduction of the ethanol content to E70 (called winter E85 blend) in very cold regions, where temperatures fall below 0 °C (32 °F) during the winter. In Wyoming for example, E70 is sold as E85 from October to May. E85 flex-fuel vehicles are becoming increasingly common in the Midwest , where corn is a major crop and is the primary feedstock for ethanol fuel production. Regional retail E85 prices vary widely across
34595-440: Was so successful, that production of flex cars went from almost 40 thousand in 2003 to 1.7 million in 2007. This rapid adoption of the flex technology was facilitated by the fuel distribution infrastructure already in place, as around 27,000 filling stations countrywide were available by 1997 with at least one ethanol pump, a heritage of the Pró-Álcool program. In the United States, initial support to develop alternative fuels by
34782-448: Was the first time that KERS contributed directly to a race victory, with second placed Giancarlo Fisichella claiming "Actually, I was quicker than Kimi. He only took me because of KERS at the beginning". Although KERS was still legal in Formula 1 in the 2010 season, all the teams had agreed not to use it. New rules for the 2011 F1 season which raised the minimum weight limit of the car and driver by 20 kg to 640 kg, along with
34969-413: Was unveiled at the 2010 New York International Auto Show and sales began in the U.S. in September 2010. The MKZ Hybrid is the first hybrid version ever to have the same price as the gasoline-engine version of the same car. The Porsche Cayenne Hybrid was launched in the U.S. in late 2010. Volkswagen announced at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show the launch of the 2012 Touareg Hybrid , which went on sale on
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