The moment you realize the prius is all about the transmission, not the battery...

I have had a Toyota Camry Hybrid since February 2015. When I drove it away from the dealership, it felt like Star Trek technology to me. After almost four years, it has been 100% reliable with no break downs whatsoever!

This is one of the best explanations of how the hybrid engine works. Superb graphics and dialog make this a must-see for all Toyota Hybrid car drivers, such as I. This documentation was not easy to do and the creator spent a lot of time. It is worthwhile and I thank you for the excellence and passing on the knowledge. Well done.

This is awesome! You opened my eyes for how amazing a hybrid engine really is.

There is always something special to me about these "sketchy" animation videos. Like they just explain it casually and straightforwadly rather than trying to have a glamorous looking presentation.

Sir, your video is a piece of jewelry - you're truly an "internet angel" producing high quality content and promoting interest for technology and science. My profound respect and gratefulness!

This is a great explanation. We bought a Prius in 2008, and have been really happy with it. An amazing vehicle. Almost no maintenance, after 151000 miles, and excellent mileage. Lately the battery has shown decreased performance, but we still love it.

Wow this is the first video I've watched that actually makes hybrids make sense.

Probably the best explanation of Toyota's hybrid drive on the internet. Excellent.

This a beautiful presentation - Simply brilliant! Your motion graphics spared you the effort of at minimum 5,000 words. I'm subscribed and looking forward to your further efforts. thank you-

Just came across this. Absolutely fantastic! What a labour of love. I love animated CAD and thoughtful explanations. Very enjoyable and recommended to a number of friends. Matt Lee (age 62. And old engineer.)

Over the years I've come back to watch this video. This guy really did a great job of simplifying and teaching hybrid this system.

This is a really good video. Starting off by explaining the problems engineers were trying to solve using clutches and gearboxes sets the context and makes you realise just how amazing the HSD is. Great animation - it must have taken a lot of effort. Thank you.

Still the best explanation of the Hybrid Synergy Drive I've seen. Thank you.

What a fantastic video, and amazing use of 3D software! I asked the man in the Toyota shop yesterday how the engine coupled into the wheels along with the motor - did it use a clutch of some sort - and he fobbed me off with utter nonsense. Now I understand! The explanation given here could not be bettered, and the two-motor-generator system with planetary gears has to be the new challenge for youngster to grasp, just as the differential once was. I wonder if anyone has built it in Lego yet! Thanks very much.

That's the kind of videos KZfaq should mainly be used for !

Outstanding explanation .. watched several times to fully understand .. I play at 75%, stop frequently, replay and reflect on the actions inside the planetary element .. a pleasure to learn this. Thanks a million !

A brilliant mind is able to understand complex things, a genius is able to understand complex things and explain them in simple terms to those who don’t understand

Almost didnt watch this….glad i did. Amazing explanation! I was amazed at the detail and engineering genius in discussion

What a great video! Well done, Niels! You have done something which is so necessary: you have used graphics and words to explain CONCEPTS. This is so crucial in explaining the IDEAS behind how things work. Indeed, your are an exceptionally good teacher.

I think it is brilliant to use an generator as a clutch. [that is what MG1 is doing. It is acting like a clutch, all the while it is a generator. The friction that normally would have been lost as heat in a conventional clutch is converted to electricity that runs MG2] Genius!

This was the best explanation of a hybrid I’ve ever watched!

One of the best explanation of how Prius hybrid drive work. very good video🥰🥰🥰

I understood 50 percent of that. Still better than what I used to think was magic. Gears, capacitors, batteries, Motors. ME LIKEY.

The data presented here blew my mind. So did the illustrations. Great 3d modeling and beaking down of complwx systems. Thank you for this.

I love the little flames in the cylinders. Lovely!

This is like some of the best powertrain modeling I've ever seen... The detail on just the differential is amazing.

This is amazing. It hadn't occurred to me that the resistance from the generator could directly act as the clutch.

Every now and then as I'm cruising Arizona freeways at 84 mph (135 kph) getting 47 mpg I wonder how it all works. Niels- thank you for explaining it!

Best illustration/explanation I've seen on the HSD. I could even say it's the best explanation I've seen on anything on youtube. Well done and thanks a lot!

EXCELLENT video & explanations. my prius just died & stranded me not far from the middle of nowhere last week. your video allows me to better understand what happened.

Very impressive explanation of the Prius. Complicated to say the least. These cars are ubiquitous. They're everywhere. One of Toyota's greatest successes.

After watching your broadcast, I went and bought a secondhand prius II and am very happy with it.Thank you for your video

An amazing design by Toyota at that time in 1998. Absolutely BRILLIANT

Family has two hybrids, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Ford Fusion Hybrid, the latter actually employs the same identical powertrain as the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive as Ford & Toyota cross licenses patents. The lack of gearshift and no intrusive engine start stop is something that I learn to love in driving hybrids. Even better understanding regenerative braking- no more guilt of riding the brakes and replacing pads & rotors when the MG2 can take it all back and give you more electricity to get even further.

I know this is a few years on, but it’s the first time it has ‘come to life’ as it were. You graphics for explaining how the planetary set works is effective - better than the original Toyota presentations. Note that the second planetary set connected to MG2 (the traction motor) is really a fixed ratio reduction set, allowing the motor to run faster. The ‘smaller’ version of this drive (the so-called “hybrid synergy drive” (HSD) ) does not use a chain to connect to the differential gear set - it’s a short shaft from the ‘ring gear’. Although the mechanical arrangement is well described, there’s a bit more to it! In particular, there are three inverters (to work with the motors, which are variable frequency a.c.), and a pair of d.c. converters. The most important battery in this type of car is the high voltage d.c. one - if it’s dead you’ve had it, but if the smaller 12V d.c. one fails, that is easy to overcome with a conventional external d.c. “jump start” device. The contractor for the HSD is Aisin-Seiko - at least 30% of it’s shares being owned by Toyota; it’s own site may be of interest. Also worth noting that the choice of this system is related to the use of the Atkinson cycle for the engine (most of the time), so as to optimise it’s thermal efficiency, at the expense of reduced torque/power at any given engine speed. What is nice about it is that traction motors have maximum torque at zero speed.

I just bought eCVT car, and wanted to learn about how eCVTs actually work... Your video explained me a lot!

@8:50 is a good quick eplanation of why hybrid gets more MPH: The engine either is running at an efficient RPM or not running at all. Engines apparently have a window of RPM which is most efficient. Hybrids allow for an engine to get away with only running in that narrow window of efficiency.

I have a 2010 Prius base we bought brand new. This has been the best (better than the lexus we owned) car ever. These are notorious for being extremely reliable. As of this writing we have 59,400 miles and still have the original brakes. I wanted to trade for a bigger SUV (toyota of course) but cannot part with this car.

Excellent explanation!!! I have driven a TOYOTA HYBRID car for 8 years (above 160 000 miles) without single malfunction (yes!). Incredibly well built car! Post Scriptum: I think that with that high level of engineering a TOYOTA/Lexus’s self-charging hybrids have far more bright future in comparison to EV’s (time of refueling vs. speed of charging) than many thinks in favor to EV’s...

The best explanation I’ve ever seen. Man you are the master of logic and visualization!

Absolutely brilliantly done and narrated.

ASMR for auto mechanics. Haha. This dude needs a playlist for falling asleep. Well spoken and made video.

this is such a good animation....thank you so much, toyota needs to use this why the E-CVt is much better than those older clunky mechanical CVT units....

Great clear graphics. Good structured presentation. I hope you are teaching some lucky people.

This changes my look on hybrids , I used to see hybrids as the nerds in the car world without any style but just like in real life the nerds in automotive industry are actually waaay cooler and smarter 600 miles per tank ! I've made up my mind I'm buying a Prius next year !

After spending an afternoon trying to get the hang of the Toyota e-cvt that's appearantly in my Rav4 Plugin, this video was the best and actually manages to explain how it works. Thank you Nils!

Hats off to Ford engineers for their 1969 patent. Excellent video animation.

Excellent presentation! You're a genius! Thumbs up! It is clear that advances in battery technology will completely eliminate the need for the ICE

Brilliant. Like your humor as well. I wish Toyota would make a transparent (see-through) Prius so we could see the real thing in action on a display stand. Their hybrid system is one of the most wonderful improvements in automotive technology and I don't think many people appreciate how amazing it is. People complain about the design of the Prius body and I do blame Toyota for a self-inflicted wound that reduced sales of the Prius, and thus benefits to cleaner air and less gasoline consumption. Fortunately they are now putting their hybrid system in more conventional looking vehicles. You have done a great service to help with the understanding of how this system works. Thanks.

I have a 2014 Prius, a 2015 Avalon and a 2017 f350 power stroke. All three are excellent for their unique purposes and design strength. Ideally each will last the duration of my life.

Excellent video...very well explained. will be waiting for more'

For those commenting that these systems are more complex than a standard motor, they're actually simpler, as they do without cluch, gears, and the whole mechanical transmission. This takes a lot of stress out of the whole motor/transmission system, and in fact the thermic motor in Toyotas works in a different fashion than a standard car motor, as it is not supposed to work on a full rev range, but it can just work in a limited range, maximizing efficiency, as the other 2 motors take active part in transmission. Thus Toyota hybrids are well known for very high reliability.

Brillant explanation. I know someone said the same below me, but it´s the expression i found to describe this.

A work of art, intellectual art; beautiful. Thanks Niles.

I was a Cadillac person. 16 m0g per gallon but it was a catty . I love my 1rst and second Prius. 200000, no break job and I get 52 mpg all the time. I figured I saved 37000.00 in gas for what I would have put in my sts catty. GO PRIUS. 200000 MILES AND NO PROBLEM

This is so phenomenal! Thanks for making this 3D animation.

Best explanation of the hybrid drive I found so far! Thanks!

Great animation and perfectly explained video. Thank you

Very helpful video - explains in a way that I can start to physically grasp how it works - the pictures make it all come together.

I have a Gen II Prius with 239K miles. I try to explain to friends why I love it. This video will help.

prius is a genius car. i dont understand why some hate it.

Toyota Prius Prime (plug in hybrid) you can drive further and faster with much bigger battery, which is ideal for everyday drivers, long distance etc. An ultimate car :D

Thanks Neils for your clear explanation of the workings of the Prius. You have done a great job of it.

What a great video. This is why the internet is special.

This. Is. Amazing. Non-engineer here with a Prius. Fascinating. Thank you.

FANTASTIC VIDEO,YOU ARE THE MAN.THANK YOU SO MUCH.STEVE IN CLEARWATER,FL. 2009 PRIUS 48,000 MILES BOUGHT 2 DAYS AGO.!

This is the best explanation of the HSD bar none, ever. A truly world class video.

What an amazing video, thanks Niels for all your work. I’m not 100% sure how the damn thing works but I’m much closer and I’ll continuing studying so I can get tp a point where I can explain it to my granddaughter.

This is why I bought the prius! It's so fascinating and very well engineered. Even though lots of people hate it.

An acquaintances 2001 Prius started playing up, ICE engine would only run for 12 seconds then stop, main battery was very low, eventualy it stayed running and they drove it to a Auto electrician, I think he added ATF to the invertor coolant too, local garage told him it was the Autotrans filling point, who knows what damage he's done. What surprises me as with all the onboard electronics and computers you don't get very good diagnostics on the 2001 model and obd2 reader doesn't seem to work on Japanese models.

And if say the combustion engine was replaced by a larger electric motor for a straight BEV, this ECVT will likely still work, enabling near peak efficiency regardless of wheel speed. And because all gears involved are permanently meshed, tooth wear is significantly reduced

this is so much easier to understand than explanation on paper. so awesome.

Wow, just wow! How many other mechanical engineers were blown away by the detail in this modeling (and probably amount of time involved)? I like the details like the IC engine explosions and relative velocities. I like the intital shout out to the 1969 design! I read about hybrids car idea in Popular Mechanics magazines as a kid in the 70s. Nice to see credits and mention of Blender and Linux. I suspected Pro-E or something and may need to play around.

I never though much about prius then my wife wanted a economy car to commute with. After getting one and learning about the engineering of the car I was very impressed . I now also have one and appreciate the ground breaking nature of the car and am amazed how the concept is the first and so far the best executed example of a hybrid system. Usually the first of anything is plagued with problems and although there are some glitches overall they are good performing well engineered reliable cars

Your explanation and animation are awesome! The Prius Drive is truly one of the most advanced and smart, and yet simple invention.

Thanks for your fantastic presentation and explanation. Talking slowly so that every one catch up this new technology.

Oh, best explanation I've seen ... very professional........ fyi the third gen does not have a chain as stated.

I'm still tryin' to wrap my brain around all those moving parts...wow! Good job, Niels.

God. I should have been an engineer! Best description of a hybrid I’ve seen.

Thank you Niels! Nicely produced and animated, give a lot of clarity to my Prius.

Great animation!! - thanks for putting all the effort in to convey the complex subject in an understandable way!

You did an amazing job of breaking it down and making it logical and relatively easy to understand!! Thank You!! You have quite a gift of logical communication!

Great job sir. Thank you for going back and forth on the different types too. That made it much easier to understand

(13:40) "That's it: that's Toyota's hybrid drive: the dance of the three engines"

all the benefits of a CVT without that stupid belt!

Very nice work. I can the author used many hours of work to get the video and explanation just right. Making complex things simple can be very difficult. Great job!

Very good! I drive a Prius for deliveries at work and notice some tremendous RPMs on the MG while in engine braking mode and also when in cruise control mode and reduce the cruise speed while going downhill. You can really hear the high speed winding up of the motor/generator

There really is something magical about this video. Can’t put my finger on it. We’ll done!

Almost understood it! I'll get it second time round.. Thank you!!

thanks, pretty amazing video. I drive a Prius. had no idea it was this complicated.

Brilliant video. Complex engineering made much simpler to understand. I am sure Neils you will give it the required update and revision when required. One of the most informative animations I have ever seen.

Ok. I have seen this video 9 times over the years 😎💪🏾

Thanks for a great explination, I always wanted to know how that hybrid regen worked in detail..

Dear Niels, thank you for this nice explanation! It's far the most easily understood all over the internet!

Nice explanation! I always wondered exactly how this system worked and it's simpler than I thought. Loved the graphics. Made it much easier to understand. Thanks!

Nicely done. Also it is a brilliant engineering solution.

You are brilliant, and a great teacher.

Fantastic job Neils! Thank you for explaining it so clearly 👍 Really impressive work!

First time I really understood what happens with the eCVT (I guess I can call it eCVT). The planetary gears I still struggle to understand but it is way more clear now. Thanks