Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am a mechanical engineer working on a development project and purchased this newly-released book based on the contents description and author's credentials ("Distinguished professor and SAE Fellow").
I am extremely disappointed with the content of this book. From literally the inside of the front jacket it is full of technical errors and incomprehensible charts. Sentence fragments are pervasive and the writing in general is imprecise and often overly casual. Occasionally the author tosses in seemingly random thoughts that serve to distract the reader. (What does pickup truck tailgate position have to do with hybrid vehicles? Nothing.)
If you overlook the incorrect unit conversions on the jacket (degrees Kelvin??) and flip past the literally 23 page Contents (??!) you come to the Preface, where you will find some clues to what went wrong. The author restates the purpose of the book about four times; "for buyers or would-be buyers of hybrids...", "intended for potential hybrid customers", "information for the educated citizen", "for the engineer...a starting point for additional research". I think I disagree with all of these. As a 460+ page book full of equations this is clearly not a buyer's guide. Unfortunately, no engineer can make use of the contents because it is so full of errors and inconsistencies that any seemingly useful nuggets of information must be researched from scratch to determine their validity. What responsible author cites Wikipedia as the source for a graph used to illustrate a key technical concept? (Figure 7.1)
It is perfectly acceptable to publish a technical book that is not written for engineers. It is another thing entirely to release a book that is full of charts, graphs, equations, and statistics that imply a level of technical accuracy that does not stand up under scrutiny.
My overwhelming impression is that the book was rushed to the printer without adequate proofreading and technical editing. Perhaps the publisher gave in to the pressure to cash in on the fuel economy craze that hit in late 2008, and what could have been a useful and comprehensive technical overview turned into a typed collection of notes. It is indeed a shame, since the basic research and technical understanding was clearly there. The author and/or publisher simply did not have the discipline to properly finish the job. I fear for our collective future as an innovative society if we begin to accept work like this.
I believe there is a place in the market for an interesting and accessible technical overview of hybrid vehicle technologies. This is not that book.
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Uncover the Technology behind Hybrids and Make an Intelligent Decision When Purchasing Your Next Vehicle With one billion cars expected to be on the roads of the world in the near future, the potential for war over oil and the negative environmental effects of emissions will be greater than ever before. Now is the time to seriously consider an alternative to standard automobiles. Exploring practical solutions to these problems, Hybrid Vehicles and the Future of Personal Transportation provides broad coverage of the technologies involved in manufacturing and operating hybrids. It reviews key components of hybrid and pure electric vehicles, including batteries, fuel cells, and ultracapacitors. The book also discusses both concept and production-bound hybrids as well as the economics and safety issues of hybrid ownership. In addition, the author supplies effective tips on how to save gasoline with conventional and hybrid automobiles. Making the jargon of fuel-efficient vehicles accessible to a wide audience, this guide explains the history of hybrids, how they work, and their impact on the environment. It will help you make a sound decision concerning the purchase and operation of a hybrid or electric vehicle.
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