I don’t mean plug-in hybrids, I mean the once that charge batter with engine and regenerative braking. Assuming mixed city/highway cycle regenerative braking should add as little as 5% range and I would imagine that energy would be lost in the process of transfer from engine to battery. Factoring in extra battery weight it seems to me that “MPG” on hybrids should be basically comparable to ICE vehicles, yet it’s advertised as significantly higher MPG and benefits to the envioronment.
Where am I wrong?
In: 1
Gasoline engines can actually hit 35% efficiency without too much trouble (and diesels can hit 45%), but only within a specific RPM and load range within their powerband. You tend not to operate there, because the engine has to rev all over the place during normal operation.
On a hybrid you don’t have that problem; the electric motor can handle the speed changes, at which point the internal combustion engine can just sit at the optimal speed/torque ranges and make power as efficiently as possible.
That efficiency translates into higher MPG.
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