[Christ]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

OK, if you'll tell me why a competent engineer would design the system so that it charges while at full driving load. I don't know exactly how GM has implemented their system, but if I were doing it, it would blend gas & battery use, and do most of the charging on downhills or when braking.

When did I say it was at full driving load?

The engine doesn't drive the car... what part of that isn't understandable? The engine charges the batteries when they're completely drained (Pre-damage drained), because it produces more power than is necessary to drive the car under most, if not all, circumstances. In this way, it is capable of operating at full load all the time, thus being at it's most efficient power setting for most of it's operation.

During the charging/driving cycle, the engine is STILL capable of delivering 50 miles per gallon of fuel used, but the mileage used when the engine is off is technically "free", since you already paid for it while charging the batteries while driving.