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A Simple Software Update Could Make Hybrids Way More Efficient
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Plug-in hybrid vehicles have been around for a few years, and nicely bridge the gap between new electric cars and conventional fuel vehicles. Plug-in hybrids have both an electric motor and a battery as well as a standard fuel tank and gas-powered generator. The combination gives the vehicle all the benefits of an electric vehicle for short drives while still retaining the convenience of a gas-powered vehicle for longer trips.

A typical plug-in hybrid like the Chevy Volt will use its electric motor and battery until the charge is depleted, then switch over to gas. However, for longer trips it's usually more efficient to use some combination of both the battery and generator for the entire trip. The exact proportions, however, depend greatly on a number of factors like traffic, road conditions and the number and location of charging stations, which are impossible to predict in advance.

To overcome this hurdle, researchers at the University of California, Riverside have developed software that can calculate the proportions of fuel and battery to use on a trip based on information from other cars that are already traveling those roads. The technology relies upon cellular networks and crowdsourcing platforms combined with evolutionary algorithms to predict what's on the road ahead.

These evolutionary algorithms are commonly used to predict natural processes like insect swarming and bird flocking. When applied to the road, they can predict how traffic and road conditions will change. This information can be used to precisely regulate a hybrid vehicle's fuel consumption to increase fuel efficiency by over 30 percent.

As more cars are connected together and share their information with each other, it's possible that hybrid fuel efficiency could increase even further. Maybe one day, your car will be able to save you fuel and money by talking with the other cars on the road ahead.

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