You are confusing the standard Prius with plugin hybrids. The standard Prius generates all it's power from a traditional gasoline engine. You put in gas, you get out movement.
The hybrid electric gets efficiency from running a smaller engine at more or less constant speeds for standard driving; the gas motor charges the battery which provides motive torque. (rapid accelleration just takes torque directly from the engine and runs the engine inefficiently. Mileage plummets). The Prius also tries to recapture kinetic energy from braking, though I doubt that makes more than a percent or two difference in efficiency.
It is, simply, a better power plant design than the standard car. It's not an order of magnitude better, but it's a very good first step.
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Date: 2010-07-20 05:19 pm (UTC)The hybrid electric gets efficiency from running a smaller engine at more or less constant speeds for standard driving; the gas motor charges the battery which provides motive torque. (rapid accelleration just takes torque directly from the engine and runs the engine inefficiently. Mileage plummets). The Prius also tries to recapture kinetic energy from braking, though I doubt that makes more than a percent or two difference in efficiency.
It is, simply, a better power plant design than the standard car. It's not an order of magnitude better, but it's a very good first step.