Quote:
Originally Posted by RobertSmalls
Not fair. Turning a Camry into a Prius involves an aerodynamic rebody, just like the 75mpg (at steady state cruise) VW Bug hydraulic hybrid. The only apples-to-apples comparos on the market are Camry vs Camry Hybrid, and Civic vs Civic Hybrid. These hybrids have a 31% and 45% improvement in EPA Combined over their conventional counterparts.
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If we look at the exact same model, it still only increases the payback time to ~5 years instead of ~3 years. I'm comparing a hybrid to a conventional sedan, and then a hybrid to a hydraulic version of the same thing because those are/would be the best of what's available. Toyota doesn't make a non-hybrid Prius because it's a lot harder to take advantage of the aero and whatnot w/o a hybrid system.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobertSmalls
What kind of fuel economy would that aero-Bug have delivered if they had used the same Tecumseh engine powering the rear wheels through just a tranny, instead of through two hydraulic motors and a hydraulic accumulator as they did?
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If they had geared it properly, it would get slightly better highway mileage, and worse city.