| > Is it too late? > Resources > Articles and blogs > The Future of Hybrid Cars
The Future of Hybrid Cars
|
| |
|
Amy Warren
|
By Amy Warren
The advent of the hybrid car in America has meant a significant step forward for the transportation industry, and for drivers everywhere. But what if you could take it one step further? At present, hybrid cars are totally computer controlled, utilizing an automatic Hybrid Human Interface (HHI). The computer system decides the best gas/electric ratio for the given situation, and the driver has little to no say in the matter. Now imagine if the driver did have some say. He is, after all, the one driving the car, and he can see the road and assess the situation much better than any computer. If he could control the gas/electric ratio of his hybrid, a whole new world of possibilities would be opened up to him.
Michael Dabrowski, inventor for over 20 years, is working with other Insight owners to develop a manual HHI, called the MIMA, or Manual Integrated Motor Assist system for use in the Honda Insight. The concept behind the MIMA is to improve the Human Hybrid Interface, in the process increasing both performance and fuel economy to benefit all Insight drivers. Generally, the Insight and other hybrids depend upon their gasoline engines as their primary source of power, with some assistance from an electric engine. However, they have found that the fuel efficiency of the hybrid could be greatly increased if the electric engine was able to serve as the car's main power source in certain situations. MIMA allows the driver the capability to manually determine when to engage both the electric assist and recharge features of the hybrid car, thereby enabling the driver to reduce the load on the gas engine and maximize its fuel efficiency. The concept is backed enthusiastically by other Insight owners, and the system has been acclaimed for its award winning fuel efficiency capabilities over other hybrids at the Tour de Sol.
At startup, the modified Insight starts as a normal hybrid, as it will remain while the MIMA is off, or if a fault should be detected in the system. Once engaged, the driver has a choice of two options. The first of these is to take full manual control of the electric motor system, leaving it up to the driver to engage the auto assist and battery recharge functions. It also allows the driver to control the amount of assist or recharge for the given situation. This enables them to use their own driving experience to dictate how they want the car to perform, rather than depending on the computer to make the same decision.
For example, the Honda Insight is preprogrammed to give a certain amount of electric assist upon acceleration, which helps to increase gas mileage. However, by using the MIMA, the driver is capable of increasing that assistance, thereby lowering the effective load on the gasoline engine and improving fuel efficiency even more.
Likewise, the Insight is programmed to charge the battery at certain times or in certain situations. Normally, the battery will begin to recharge when it reaches 30% charge capacity, regardless of the driving conditions. This can be inconvenient while going uphill. Allowing the battery to charge at such a time puts extra load on the gas engine, and actually decreases the fuel efficiency of the car during the charge. MIMA allows the driver to disengage this charge during uphill climbs, and instead engage it at a more opportune time. Engaging the battery charge causes some additional load on the engine, which leads to deceleration in the vehicle. However, while going downhill, this can be used to the driver's advantage. The battery can get the full effect of the charge out of the gradual deceleration, rather than during the short braking interval at the end, and it saves wear and tear on the brakes as well.
The second option is to program the hybrid to perform to the driver's specifications, an adjustable HHI. Simply by pressing a button, the driver can store when they would like the charging and assist features to engage, and in what capacity. Then, all one has to do is engage this automatic mode to have the hybrid perform to optimum specifications all on its own. With only the throttle as user input, minor adjustments can be made with the use of a joystick during travel, and the automatic settings can be reprogrammed at any time.
The system itself is fairly easy to install and quite unobtrusive. A simple on/off switch controls its application, and a small, LED display and three-button joystick attachment comprise the only visible changes to the car. Both of these features have variable mounting options to make the interface comfortable for the individual driver.
Tests have shown the MIMA system to be quite effective. The prototype system (lacking the programmable mode) was tested by an Insight owner to find the average mileage improvement one would obtain, based on his daily commute. He found that, without MIMA, the Honda Insight with his best technique could make the commute between 70-80 MPG, A max of 96MPG After MIMA was installed, his same commute with his newly defined best technique, yield commutes between 90-100 MPG, max 103. A clear improvement. Interested Insight owners project that the MIMA could increase Insight fuel efficiency by more than 20% as users became more familiar with the system. The hardware and software are open source, and a Microchip ICD2 debugger/programmer is available in the options package. Several skilled MIMA owners are embedded control programmers, so it will be interesting to see how far the PIMA( Programmable IMA) will go towards redefining the HHI to the benefit of all.
Current Insight drivers are enthusiastic about this new and effective adaptation to the traditional hybrid. They are finding that, not only is it efficient, but it's still quite fun to drive, and the energy advantages it yields are well worth the effort.
Amy's resume
|
|
|
