Hybrid cars are big at the moment, with Toyota changing previous gas/hybrid options to hybrid only on the 2025 Toyota Camry and now the 2026 Toyota RAV4. Using a hybrid drive makes any car better, with lower fuel consumption, normally more power than the gas version, and longer-lasting engines. We all know that.
But there are a few features that were made possible by the development of hybrid technology. Some of these features are new, while others have been around a while, but have become more relevant with the advent of hybrid cars.
Regenerative Braking
The Big Breakthrough
Normal friction brakes convert a car’s kinetic energy into heat that is wasted in the atmosphere. Regenerative braking recaptures some of the energy used to bring the car into motion and accelerate it to speed. The electric motor of the hybrid drive turns into a generator during braking or deceleration. This causes friction that slows the car down, and the electricity thus generated is fed back into the battery. This system is also used in EVs, plug-in-hybrids, and mild hybrids.
The main benefit of regenerative braking is obviously greater fuel efficiency. The friction brakes will also last longer because they are used less. Over the long run, this more efficient use of energy requires less work from the gas engine, which means it will last longer than a gas-only drive.
Automatic Engine Stop/Start
Improving Existing Technology
Automatic stop/start technology can be used in normal ICE cars, but this works much better with a hybrid drive. The engine shuts down when the car is stopped and automatically restarts when the driver lifts their foot off the brake pedal.
While a gas car has to use the starter motor to restart the ICE, a hybrid can use its electric motor during stop/go driving, with the engine only starting when more power is required. The operation in a hybrid is much smoother, and functions like air-conditioning can continue to work while the engine is off.
Advanced Battery Technology And Management
Used In EVs And Battery Storage As Well
The advent of the hybrid drive kicked off significant improvements in battery technology and the way they are monitored, controlled, and optimized. This opened the door not only for better hybrid vehicles but also for EVs and other uses. New battery chemistries were developed, starting with a focus on lithium-ion. The way these batteries were made was improved, giving them better performance and reliability. This tech was then adapted to other uses, including battery storage and devices like cell phones.
Parallel to making better batteries came the way these batteries are managed, with software that protects the battery from operating beyond its safe limits, monitors the state of the battery, and manages its life cycle.
Power Electronics And Motor Controls
Making A Complicated System Work
Hybrid drives led to the development of power electronics and motor control systems to manage the electrical energy between the battery and the electric motor. These include DC-AC inverters that convert the battery’s DC power into AC for the motor, and DC/DC converters that regulate voltage for different systems.
During regenerative braking, the process is reversed, and AC from the motor is converted to DC to recharge the battery. Various sensors gather input based on driving conditions and control the speed and torque of the electric motor.
Intelligent Energy Management
Linking The Engine, Motor, Driver, And Driving Conditions
A hybrid car uses both an ICE and an electric system, sometimes in isolation, but usually together. Intelligent energy management allows the optimal operation of these systems for maximum fuel efficiency and battery operation.
As the title suggests, this requires advanced computing, including machine learning, rule-based strategies, and fuzzy logic controllers. It can make real-time decisions by analyzing driver behavior, road conditions, and the flow of traffic around the car.
The Atkinson Cycle
Giving New Life To Old Technology
A normal ICE runs on the Otto cycle, which is the working of each cylinder through its four strokes. The Atkinson cycle uses the same engine, but variable valve technology changes the way it works. There is also the Miller cycle that does the same, but with a turbocharger or supercharger.
The Atkinson was developed in the late 1800s as a pretty much a steampunk contraption. Today’s Atkinson cycle uses electronic valve control, making it more reliable and resulting in less power but greater fuel efficiency. This lower power is compensated for by the battery in a hybrid drive. Toyota and other carmakers are now making combination Atkinson/Otto cycle gas engines, with the former being used for everyday driving, while the valve timing can be electronically adjusted to the Otto cycle when more power is needed.
Making Mechanical Functions Electric
Essential For Hybrids, Better In ICE
Before hybrids came around, systems like power steering worked with mechanical linkages, often belts. Hybrids had to move using electricity, so these systems could function when the engine is off. Much of the power for these power functions used to be drawn directly from the engine, which affected both power and efficiency.
Replacing mechanical functions with electric resulted in fewer moving parts, smoother operation, and less weight. Many newer ICE cars have moved to using electric power for steering, brakes, and other functions that used to be done mechanically.
All-Wheel Drive On Demand
All The Benefits, None Of The Penalties
All-wheel drive gives better traction on slippery roads, but reduces the fuel efficiency of the vehicle. Some ICE vehicles had AWD on demand, which allowed efficient FWD during normal driving, but with AWD kicking in when the front wheels started slipping. This required a complex, heavy, and expensive mechanical/electronic system involving a driveshaft and differential.
Toyota introduced the AWD on demand in its hybrids, where the car would be two-wheel-drive most of the time, with the non-driving wheels fitted with an electric motor on the axle. When the driving wheels lose traction, battery power is instantly sent to the other set of wheels. The system is light, inexpensive, and able to engage or disengage very quickly.
Sources: Toyota, Midtronics.com