The automotive industry is waking up to the fact that hybrid electric vehicles could provide an answer to the ever-increasing need for lower-polluting and more fuelefficient forms of personal transport. This is the first book to give comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the hybrid vehicle design, from its power plant and energy storage systems, to the supporting chassis subsystems necessary for realising hybrid modes of operation. Key topics covered include hybrid propulsion system architectures, propulsion system sizing, electric traction system sizing and design, loss mechanisms, system simulation and vehicle certification. The book is suitable for practising engineers and managers involved in all aspects of hybrid vehicle development, modelling and simulation and testing. It will also be of interest to postgraduate students in the field.

Hybrid materials have currently a great impact on numerous future developments including nanotechnology. This book presents an overview about the different types of materials, clearly structured into synthesis, characterization and applications. A perfect starting point for everyone interested in the field, but also for the specialist as a source of high quality information.

Hybrid organic-inorganic materials and the rational design of their interfaces open up the access to a wide spectrum of functionalities not achievable with traditional concepts of materials science. This innovative class of materials has a major impact in many application domains such as optics, electronics, mechanics, energy storage and conversion, protective coatings, catalysis, sensing and nanomedicine. The properties of these materials do not only depend on the chemical structure, and the mutual interaction between their nano-scale building blocks, but are also strongly influenced by the interfaces they share. This handbook focuses on the most recent investigations concerning the design, control, and dynamics of hybrid organic-inorganic interfaces, covering: (i) characterization methods of interfaces, (ii) innovative computational approaches and simulation of interaction processes, (iii) in-situ studies of dynamic aspects controlling the formation of these interfaces, and (iv) the role of the interface for process optimization, devices, and applications in such areas as optics, electronics, energy and medicine.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hybrid and Alternative Fuel Vehicles, by car expert Jack R. Nerad of Kelly's Blue Book, sorts out the dizzying array of choices faced by motorists in America. In clear, jargon-free and non-political language, Nerad explains the nature of each kind of car, their advantages and disadvantages, so that consumers can understand and make a practical choice.

Failure Analysis in Biocomposites, Fibre-Reinforced Composites and Hybrid Composites covers key aspects of fracture and failure in natural/synthetic fiber reinforced polymer based composite materials, ranging from crack propagation, to crack growth, and from notch-size effect, to damage-tolerant design. The book describes a broad range of techniques and strategies for the compositional and failure analysis of polymeric materials and products. It also illustrates the application of analytical methods for solving commonly encountered problems. Topics of interest include failure analysis, mechanical and physical properties, structural health monitoring, durability and life prediction, modelling of damage processes of natural fiber, synthetic fibers, and more. Written by leading experts in the field, and covering composite materials developed from different natural fibers and their hybridization with synthetic fibers, the book's chapters provide cutting-edge, up-to-date research on the characterization, analysis and modelling of composite materials. Contains contributions from leading experts in the field Discusses recent progress on failure analysis, SHM, durability, life prediction and the modelling of damage in natural fiber-based composite materials Covers experimental, analytical and numerical analysis Provides detailed and comprehensive information on mechanical properties, testing methods and modelling techniques