Brian, you are referring to the plug in cars. I agree to what you are
saying in regard to those. Our Prius is a normal one that charges the
battery through braking, coasting and extra available power from the
internal combustion engine (ICE). The ICE produces extra power when it
is running at the higher RPM, as it does during acceleration or hill
climbing. In fact, when you reach the top of a hill it is typical to
have generated an extra 50KW of power. The computer controls the
engine to run at specific RPMs that are most efficient. Those RPMs are
either less than needed or more than needed. If less, the battery
kicks in, if more, it charges the battery.
The Toyota system is beautifully designed and elegant in its
simplicity. The ICE is combined with two electric motors/generators
and the output shaft. There really is no switching modes in a
deliberate on/off manner, but more a function of which way one of the
three componants is being pushed or pulled. It is also extremely
reliable and service free. As a side benefit most people don't factor
in on their anti-hybrid calculations is that the vast majority of
Prius will never need a brake job unless the driver is Italian.
There are a bunch of urban myths about the rare earth elements in a
Prius and other nonsense. Other things the anti crowd crow about is
the excess weight of the battery pack, which is about the same as one
of my teenage daughters. Never mind the weight of fuel in a larger gas
tank of normal vehicles. The Prius curb weight is still quite low, as
they've engineered the weight out in many areas AND the engine is much
smaller and lighter. The entire transmission mechanism is about the
size of my fist.
The proof, for us, is in the mileage. Travelling with four of us in
the car with another 200 pounds of luggage in the back, we get
anywhere from 46 to 54 MPG depending on wind, gas grade, terrain and
traffic.
AG
--
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
--
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