The word “hybrid” in the power generation universe has generally been understood to mean a fossil-fuel engine supplemented by another power source, usually a renewable.
Then, the word grew to include vehicles and equipment that ran primarily on battery power but could be switched to a smaller engine that would recharge the battery while it ran.
Now, we are entering a time when “hybrid” includes drive systems that are primarily renewable-based and supplemented by an additional renewable system.
In this sphere, alternative power has primarily meant batteries and hydrogen fuel cells; one of the major impediments to wide adoption has always been range.
When I get into my Toyota Corolla on a full tank, the display tells me I have about 400 miles to go before I’m empty. While the Tesla Model S is rapidly approaching that range (currently reaching about 370), it costs about four times as much as a new Corolla. The BMW i3 Rex, itself not exactly a Main Street car, has a range of only 126 miles, which can be extended to 200 miles with use of its combustion engine.
Things are even worse in the medium and heavy truck segment. A diesel semi is more often limited by drivable hours than fuel, because they can achieve ranges of 1000-2000 miles. By comparison, Tesla’s Semi has 300- and 500-mile options. Daimler and Volvo Group’s battery semis can only go 250 miles.
Range Extenders Are Important
That is why developments in range extenders are so important. On the battery-battery side, Tesla researchers published work earlier this month on hybrid lithium-ion/lithium metal cells. Essentially, lithium metal batteries have a much higher energy density, but degrade quickly.
Lithium-ion batteries have a much greater longevity but cannot achieve the same energy density. In this hybrid design, the battery would be run in a lithium-ion mode on trips up to a certain distance (their research suggests about 300km, because only 1% of daily trips are longer than 325km), but could switch to a lithium metal mode when trips pass that point. In this way, they hope to retain the longevity of the lithium-ion battery, while being able to access the higher energy density of a lithium metal battery.
Battery-hydrogen hybrid systems may offer even greater ranges. The Nikola One by Nikola Motor Company is expected to go into production next year. At its announcement in 2016, it was supposed to achieve 800-1200 miles, although that now reads 500-750 on Nikola’s website. But even that revised estimate is greater than the pure-battery range of Tesla’s Semi.
Source: Elektrek Read The Article
Source: Motor Authority Read The Article
Source: Motor Authority Read The Article
PSR Analysis: Neither of these developments should be considered the end of on-highway combustion engines. The battery research from Tesla is not ready to be commercialized, and an additional 20% in range does not bring any but Tesla’s most elite vehicles to parity with combustion-powered passenger vehicles.
Also, even though it is improving rapidly, the infrastructure does not yet exist for mass adoption of battery-only vehicles. But as limited as the recharging infrastructure is for battery-powered vehicles, the refueling infrastructure for hydrogen-powered vehicles is relatively nonexistent. While hydrogen fuel-cells may be the more viable power source, they are behind batteries in both marketing and development.
But major OEMs are getting heavily involved in these technologies. Daimler and Volvo Group see hydrogen fuel cells as more viable for interstate shipping than pure-battery systems, and announced a partnership last month where Daimler would contribute its existing technology, and Volvo Group would add $652 million.
Toyota and Kenworth have also partnered to create a fuel cell truck, and Hyundai is working on their own. The involvement of such well-established OEMs should make it clear that these technologies are not a fad. They are always getting closer to viability, consumer sentiment is always becoming more open to this change, and these OEMs don’t want to get left behind while Tesla and Nikola seize the future. PSR
Tyler Wiegert is Project Manager and Power Systems Analyst
