ASE Light Duty Hybrid/Electric Vehicle 3

Question 1

What battery chemistry is most commonly used in modern light-duty plug-in electric vehicles?

Accepted Answer

Lithium-ion

Answer

Lithium-ion batteries offer high energy density and are standard in current EVs and most plug-in hybrids.

Question 2

What is the function of regenerative braking in a hybrid/electric vehicle?

Accepted Answer

It converts kinetic energy into electricity to recharge the battery

Answer

Regenerative braking uses the motor as a generator to recover energy that would otherwise be lost as heat.

Question 3

A customer reports reduced fuel economy and frequent engine starts in their hybrid. Which is a likely cause?

Accepted Answer

A degraded high-voltage battery with reduced capacity

Answer

As the HV battery loses capacity, the engine runs more often to maintain charge, lowering efficiency.

Question 4

What is the role of the inverter in an electric drive system?

Accepted Answer

It converts DC from the battery to AC for the traction motor

Answer

The inverter changes high-voltage DC battery power into three-phase AC needed to run the traction motor.

Question 5

What is the purpose of the DC-DC converter on a hybrid/electric vehicle?

Accepted Answer

It steps down high voltage to charge the 12V system

Answer

The DC-DC converter replaces the alternator by stepping high voltage down to power the 12V accessories and battery.

ASE Practice Test