The truth lies halfway between. While today's hybrids don't have the sophistication of their larger cousins the locomotives, the Toyota does have a mode it flips in and out of where the engine is driving the wheels and the generator at the same time at lower speeds. Although there's not documentation on it available to the end-user, it seems from a careful listen that what's going on in there is that it's running the engine a bit faster for better fuel efficiency, running in a gear to offset that, and sucking the excess power off with the generator.
To bad its a closed system. I'd love to be able to tinker with the engine/motor/generator/coast logic.
Another reason that hybrid cars have greater efficiency than single-power-source cars is that fueled engines have a maximum efficiency at some RPM. Going too slow means a big loss of efficiency. So, you run the engine at the best RPM, and suck off the extra power to charge the batteries. When the batteries reach a certain charge level, you stop the fueled engine.
Conclusion: I want the smart-car upgrade for my hybrid.
However, I only drive the hybrid on long trips. For shorter trips (such as to the other side of the city), I take the bike.
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The truth lies halfway between. While today's hybrids don't have the sophistication of their larger cousins the locomotives, the Toyota does have a mode it flips in and out of where the engine is driving the wheels and the generator at the same time at lower speeds. Although there's not documentation on it available to the end-user, it seems from a careful listen that what's going on in there is that it's running the engine a bit faster for better fuel efficiency, running in a gear to offset that, and sucking the excess power off with the generator.
To bad its a closed system. I'd love to be able to tinker with the engine/motor/generator/coast logic.
Another reason that hybrid cars have greater efficiency than single-power-source cars is that fueled engines have a maximum efficiency at some RPM. Going too slow means a big loss of efficiency. So, you run the engine at the best RPM, and suck off the extra power to charge the batteries. When the batteries reach a certain charge level, you stop the fueled engine.
Conclusion: I want the smart-car upgrade for my hybrid.
However, I only drive the hybrid on long trips. For shorter trips (such as to the other side of the city), I take the bike.