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Old 07-15-2010, 11:27 AM   #28 (permalink)
Patrick
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dcb View Post
But I have no clue how they made the graph, it fits nicely with their philosophy though. and at 750 lbs the return looks really tiny if at all.
They said that the graph was made by holding the aero drag constant while reducing the weight. So aero drag would assume a higher proportion of the total energy use as weight was reduced. Presumably this could apply to a Prius that had been "lightened" by removing unneeded (for the competition) interior items, changing windows to lightweight materials, etc. But I'm not sure how applicable it would be to purpose-built car. Surely the aero drag could be reduced also and then the regen would take on a higher proportion of the total savings.
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