Question I couldn't answer about hybrids.

[Carnos Jax]

Dakota wrote:
[quote=Black Landlord]
[quote=BigGuynRusty]
[quote=Dakota]
I am looking for the source of that "extra" energy. So braking is it? If you take away breaking, is it an even trade?

Start here, read, learn.:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car.htm
Also, it is "braking", not "breaking".

BGnR
Good links, thanks.

Does anyone know how the actual 'motor engine braking' works? Is there some sort of a clutch that engages the electric motor during braking?
None of the info is very specific about that.
I think the kid is on the right track in questioning whether hybrid cars are really much of an improvement over traditional ones.
The reason I sometimes have trouble understanding alternative energy is that any alternative energy comes from another source of energy. How can you end up with more energy? I do understand downhill driving and braking as those external sources. I guess eliminating idling helps too. I was surprised that the city and highway mileage for Prius are so close. I thought it shines in city driving.
The key Dakota is the efficiency of various energy conservation processes. Basically, burning 'oil' (gasoline) in a piston engine designed to meet the varying power requirements of a car is several times more inefficient than taking that same oil, burning it at a power plant and converting it to electricity to store in a battery to drive a car.