Merlyn wrote:
Ah, but Jed are there actually that many drivers like you?
Well, there are in densely populated urban areas, but I do not know what fraction of the population that would be offhand. I don't know much about the range of driving habits and conditions in the U.S.
My daily commute of 7 miles each way has me driving 55 mph for the majority, and that is without taking the major highways.
A serial hybrid plug-in design would probably save you a significant amount of gasoline compared to a plug-in Prius+. However, the Prius+ would still have an advantage over the regular Prius, particularly if you climb long steep hills, because it would have a larger buffer.
Even at 50 or 80 mph the electric motor contributes a significant fraction of the energy in an unmodified Prius. Going uphill, the electric motor contributes until the battery is exhausted. Then the ICE begins to work harder. This is readily apparent; it makes more noise and the MPG rating on the computer screen falls. With a larger buffer, the electric motor would continue for more miles.
- Jed
