Like never before, the automotive industry is changing by leaps and bounds. And not only when it comes to adding new comfort or safety elements (autonomous cars, driving aids, etc.), but also when it comes to the heart of a vehicle: its propulsion.

It is that until a few decades ago, options were reduced to gasoline or diesel engines. But concerns about the depletion of fossil fuels, as well as the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment, led companies to experiment with other technologies in search of solutions. It was like Electrification began to be presented as an alternative to carbon neutrality, which gradually gained space until it became an indisputable reality. Today, it’s clear that the future will be electricBeyond the fact that the first electric vehicles were built more than a century ago.

But under the huge umbrella of electrification, various technologies appear to be grouped that are almost all within reach today. Although they have similar components, it is good to know what they are and how each works. Let’s see what they are.

let’s start with Most popular today, pure hybrid or HEV (hybrid electric vehicle), which accounts for about 80% of global alternative fuel vehicle sales. They are the most widespread because they are much cheaper to produce than electricity, they have the advantage that they do not need to be recharged externally to function and they consume significantly less fuel than conventional systems. Huh.

In our country, Toyota was the first automaker to introduce this type of mobility With the launch of the third generation of the Prius in 2009. Then other brands and models were added and today there are over twenty options between normal and premium brands, with Toyota and Lexus having the largest portfolios.

The system is composed of a conventional internal combustion engine (usually the Atkinson cycle), a small electric motor, a management or control unit (It takes care of distribution of energy and operation of motors) and an extra medium capacity battery pack,

In these, The car can be driven with one or both motors at the same time, For example, when it is started and when the car is traveling at a certain speed, it does so only with electrics while the battery supplies the energy needed to do so; Meanwhile, when it suddenly accelerates in search of more power or speed, they start working together and electricity supplies the atmosphere with additional power. In addition, the electric generator takes care of some tasks that require fuel or energy consumption (ignition, air conditioning, etc.).

And there is another important point: the combustion propellants commonly used in these vehicles are the so-called atkinson cycleBecause these, although they generate less electricity, are much more efficient in terms of fuel consumption as they make better use of it while reducing polluting emissions.

Hybrids allow driving in purely electric mode for a limited number of kilometers (today they are between 20 and 35 km) and at certain speeds (some exceeding 100 km/h), and another advantage of this technology is That is, the battery recharges it while the vehicle is in motion, taking advantage of not only the heat generated by the engine but also the heat generated during braking and deceleration. According to calculations by various automakers, hybrids can yield twice the mileage on the same amount of fuel in a quiet driving mode.

loss PHEV (plug-in electric vehicle) or plug-in hybrid They are almost identical to pure hybrids in both their operation and their components, but with some minor differences.,

To start, In addition to the combustion engine, management unit and electric drive, it is added that the power is supplied through a large-capacity battery pack. (usually lithium ions, as they are the ones that produce more energy and have less weight) and there is an input (plug) for external charger (On the opposite side of the fuel tank opening). And here’s where the big difference appears: The battery can be recharged by plugging the vehicle into a recharging station or a duly installed household outlet, with the accumulator starting a trip at 100% without the need for electric mode. provides more autonomy. To activate the combustion propellant.

In that sense, they offer slightly more autonomy in EV mode than normal hybrids (over 50 km) and recharging times vary between 2 and 3 hours.

Of the PHEVs, the first to arrive in our country was the Mercedes-Benz GLC350 e SUV, which was introduced in September 2018. A few other models were added to it, but it should be clarified that it is still not very popular in Argentina. Technology. Diffused or encouraged (the big bet is due to the simplicity of use and recharging through pure hybrids).

loss MHEV (mild-hybrid electric vehicle, also known as soft hybrid or micro-hybrid), the others are the most widespread. this solution It consists of a conventional engine paired with a belt-start alternator/generator that is powered by a 48V lithium-ion battery; Both take care of generating and managing excess energy for tasks that demand fuel consumption. (glide, star-stop etcetera), to recharge a normal 12V battery and Also to give extra power to the conventional engine in high demand situations. This translates into lower consumption which is estimated to be around one liter every 100 kms.

The first to reach these latitudes with this technology was the Audi A7 Sportback, with the ringed brand later adding more variants to its portfolio.

With increasing availability, BEVs (battery electric vehicles) are the only 100% electric vehicles and one of two that are truly zero-polluting emissions or ZEVs. (zero emission vehicle), Its components are four: it contains one or more electric motors. (usually permanent magnet); a great battery pack (lithium ion and others); One socket for external recharging (that is, you must plug it in or yes at a public or domestic station), and a power converterone who replaces wall power (which is alternating or AC) Direct (DC) that used by a motor.

Its operation is also simple: The propellers are powered by electricity generated by the battery, then the power passes through the converter. The motor also transfers the movement to the axes. (in case there is more than one).

For the battery (whose capacity is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh)) it is also regenerated through the investment of developed energy, deceleration, braking and more.

Electricians have the advantage that they have fewer mechanical components and therefore require less maintenance. On the other hand, they offer less autonomy (between 300 and 600 km) and the time taken to recharge them is longer (several hours). However, both aspects are being rapidly improved and today there are models that allow the system to regenerate up to 80% in 15 or 20 minutes connected to a fast charger.

In Argentina, Renault was the first to bet on this version, when it launched its utility Kangoo ZE in 2018, followed by Nissan’s locally first electric car, the Leaf (by the way, the best-selling electric car in the world). And more and more options are appearing, both locally and imported.

The last variant and the second one being the ZEV is that of fuel cell powered cars or FCEVs (Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicles).Also called hydrogen car. These include an electric motor, a control unit, a fuel cell, a hydrogen tank and a 48 V battery.,

They are also pure electricity, but unlike The accumulator power is not supplied by an external load, but is generated by a chemical reaction occurring in the fuel cell during circulation, Synthetically, hydrogen packed in tanks at very high pressure is sent into the cell where it mixes with oxygen from the environment and when they come together, a chemical reaction is triggered that produces energy on the one hand and energy on the other. Side produces water. (From the fusion of hydrogen and oxygen). Electricity is sent to the batteries, which is then transmitted to the engine, while the residue resulting from this fusion (water and water vapor) is thrown out.

This technology has several advantages: the main one being that hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, which is why it is not renewable but renewable. In addition, it does not emit polluting emissions because the only thing that comes out of the exhaust pipe is a small amount of water vapor (similar to evaporation that occurs in any body of water); The batteries used are smaller (they have four times the capacity of the typical 12V used in any car); They help purify the ambient air by filtering into the cell and have more autonomy than electric and refilling a hydrogen tank takes the same amount of time as loading a gasoline or CNG tank.

though without a doubt Hydrogen is the future of mobilityToday, this technology has hardly spread due to the high cost involved in obtaining free hydrogen to be able to be bottled, and beyond the fact that there are many companies experimenting with this technology around the world, there are only three. Those who have models on the road: Toyota, along with Mirai (which in Japanese means, well, the future); Hyundai with Nexo and Honda with Clarity. None of these are marketed in our country, but there is a Mirai at Toyota’s Zarate plant for demonstration and testing.

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