|
The 2010 Prius weighs about 165 pounds more than the 2010 Corolla. Can you build your hybrid with less than 165 pounds added?
Also, the space taken up by the battery is not noticeable (it's behind the back seat and under the rear cargo floor), and the electric motor is integrated with the "gearbox" under the hood. I don't know if a motorcycle engine driving the rear axle could be made to take up less room.
The Prius computer tries to run the engine in an area where its BSFC is lowest, and by driving it a certain way you can help to keep it there. So I'm not sure that throttle body pumping losses are as big of an issue as with normal ICE cars.
|