The hybrid which recharges it's battery using the gasoline engine and the PLUG IN hybrid that can either recharge the battery by plugging it in or using the engine are different animals.
A hybrid car with an Atkinson cycle gas engine will make considerably better part throttle mpg than an ordinary car on a long steady speed drive as well as in stop and go town driving.
The Atkinson cycle gas engine makes great cruising mpg, but can not make as much wide open throttle power as a similar size conventional gas engine, thats where the battery powered electric motor comes in. The electric assist is there to help accelerate, merg, pass like a car with a much larger engine. It also allows the gas engine to shut off and consume no fuel when coasting or stopped at a light. Add to that the energy saved by regenerative braking, which slows the car by recharging the battery instead of wasting it as heat from the brakes.
I have a 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid, it averages slightly better than 50 mpg at the highway speed limit. It weighs 3300 pounds, seats five 6ft+ people in comfort, and being a hatchback, with folding rear seats, has lots of cargo room.
In spite of the 3300 pound weight, it goes 0-60 in 9 seconds and runs 115 mpg if you care to do it. It has been totally trouble free, the only service has been to change the synthetic engine oil every 10,000 miles. That oil still has the color of honey at 10,000 miles.
Toyota guarntees the hybrid system including the battery for 100,000 - 150,000 miles, depending on which state you live in.
No one knows how long that NiMH hybrid battery will last, but there is a taxi co in Canada running a fleet of Prius taxi's. They have yet to have a hybrid battery fail with between 200,000-300,000 miles on the cars in taxi service which beats the hybrid system hard.
I normally get a bit better than 50 mpg average on public roads, but last summer we drove the 35 mile loop through TR state park, where you do a lot of stop and go driving and never exceed 35 mph, The Prius made a bit better than 90 mpg on that slow loop through the park.
Atleast so far (2 years), it is the best driving and most reliable car I have owned. Only car I have owned where you can drive it all day without getting stiff sore tired. The seats and controls are just right.
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Today's Featured Article - 12-Volt Conversions for 4-Cylinder Ford 2000 & 4000 Tractors - by Tommy Duvall. After two summers of having to park my old 1964 model 4000 gas 4 cyl. on a hill just in case the 6 volt system, for whatever reason, would not crank her, I decided to try the 12 volt conversion. After some research of convert or not, I decided to go ahead, the main reason being that this tractor was a working tractor, not a show tractor (yet). I did keep everything I replaced for the day I do want to restore her to showroom condition.
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