New to site - grad student
 

I am new to the site, saw it on the Toyota Hybrid site. I don't own a hybrid yet, I bought a new 06 Corolla and it gets 38-40 MPG which is awesome so I don't have the bug yet. I am a Grad student at IUPUI which is part both of the IU and Purdue systems. I am taking a course in Automotive Control Systems which is funny since I have worked on cars and trucks my whole life and was a mechanic for 4 years after High School before getting my BSME at Purdue.
I am looking into the whole hybrid systems area as a possible area for research, I think that I might be able to help improve hybrid technologies. I have to learn about them first. I am trying to get a line on how the base electrical systems work on the various systems, looks like Toyota's HSD is the one that is most advanced.
Anyone who maybe works in the industry and has research money they want to get mega-efficient returns for let me know.

Re: New to site - grad student
 

Hi,
I'd recommend starting with the Wiki articles about the various hybrid electrics. Then pickup the manufacturer's specifications and load them into a spreadsheet along with the EPA mileage ratings. This will give you a base to build upon. Then use Google to find credible papers and references to gain more insights using search terms like ".gov" and "SAE". You might also take a look over at CleanMPG.com whose expertise is not specific to hybrids.

Bob Wilson