Mild Hybrid Systems: How Do They Work?

With the major automobile companies rushing towards electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles have grown in popularity immensely. Hybrid vehicles contain an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. The major concern of car manufacturers is to improve fuel efficiency, which has led to major innovations. One such innovation is called Mild Hybrid Vehicle. These vehicles assist internal combustion engines in their functioning. Let us find out more about these mild hybrid systems and what are the types of mild hybrid systems.

What are mild hybrid systems?

A mild hybrid system is very similar to a hybrid system but with a smaller motor called a belt-driven starter generator. The major aim of these motors is to help petrol or diesel engines to work more economically, improving fuel efficiency. Mild hybrid vehicles are also known as MHEVs. These systems are pretty cheap, given that they have basic technologies at work here.

Basic mild hybrid systems

One of the best ways to improve fuel economy is to cut off the engine whenever possible. The various scenarios where these basic systems look to bring the engine to a halt include when the engine is decelerating below a listed speed or when the vehicle is just coasting along the road. The smaller motors tend to store a small amount of energy from regenerative braking, which reduces strain on the engine. These systems are actually much smoother than normal combustion engines.

During research done by various firms, there have been significant improvements in fuel economy that have been noted! Cars that have saved fuel this way by using mild hybrid systems include the Skyactiv-X MHEV Mazda 3 and SQ5 SUV.

Advanced mild hybrid systems

Advanced mild hybrid systems are very commonly used in turbocharged engines (used in sports cars or high-performance vehicles). Turbo lag is a major issue with turbocharged engines. Advanced mild hybrid systems help compensate for the lag by providing instant torque to the engine. That is one of the main reasons why mild hybrid systems have been introduced. One of the major car models that use advanced mild hybrid systems is the Audi SQ7. The electric motor fitted in the 48v mild hybrid system is able to spin at 70,000 rpm!

Pros and cons of mild hybrid systems

One of the major concerns with mild hybrid systems is the fact that they are not very environment-friendly. That is one area where other traditional hybrid systems or plug-in hybrid systems trump over mild hybrid systems.

The major win for mild hybrid systems is the fact that they are much less complex to use as compared to traditional hybrid vehicles. They are cheaper as well. Think about the time and effort that goes into charging plug-in vehicles, along with the maintenance costs!