How is the battery of a hybrid car charged?
From the fuel that is put into the engine. The engine turns the fuel energy to mechanical energy. The alternator turns the mechanical energy into electrical energy and that charges the small batteries. The reason it works is that an IC engine is less than 25% efficient while an electric motor is over 90% efficient and better at starting the car from a stop (torque from 0 RPM) In more recent days there is more talk of “plug in” hybrid cars. These typically have a larger battery capacity and the batteries can be charged from solar panels or the electrical grid. This allows more use of the efficient electrical drive. The Volt is a plug in series hybrid. Using the Volt some may begin to realize that they don’t need the engine and may move to a purely electric car for their next vehicle.
