Jones Beene writes:
As many suspected, even though the Prius was a huge advance, it is not the optimum situation for either cost, performance or efficiency.
No design is ever "the" optimum. There are always trade-offs and present limitations. The Prius was designed in the mid-1990s and it is slightly obsolete now, but that is unavoidable. With a rapidly changing technology, all products are obsolescent the day they are introduced.
Quoting the document at drivingthefuture.com (I think):
The electric motor is the only traction power for the strong PHEV serial hybrid. That's the key idea, eliminating layers of complexity.
This does eliminate layers of complexity, but it is less energy efficient. The complex method of driving the vehicle directly with the ICE at high speeds is more efficient. This would also be true with plug-in version when you drive far beyond the range of the batteries.
The hacked-Prius is generally NOT ACCEPTABLE. It is can be a Frankenstein car (the plug-capable hacked Prius), which supposedly cannot drive over the 43 mph in stealth (battery only) mode, even on the highway . . .
That is an early, experimental model of a plug-in Prius. The add-on kits that are supposed to be available next year will not have this problem, although the car will not be able to go above 43 mph on the electric motor alone. Frankly, I see no point to going that fast without the ICE. The ICE is more efficient than the electric motor at that speed.
It will never be a zero-emissions, no-gasoline vehicle. It was not designed to be one.
The rest of this web page is a good discussion of weak versus strong hybrid differences. "Fake hybrid" is a good description of the "mild hybrid" design. It is only a little better than nothing. Still, even an improvement of 1 mpg is welcome.
- Jed
