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Originally Posted by basjoos
This still doesn't negate the fact that those driving hybrids for maximum mileage drive in a manner that minimizes use of the hybrid portion of the drive train.
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We're just going around in circles. Driving for mpg records isn't at all the same as driving in the real world. Sure, IF you have a level road, don't have to start and stop, and don't mind taking several minutes to accelerate to cruising speed, you might get as good mpg w/o the hybrid. (But not significantly better, since in that sort of driving the weight penalty would be negligible.) However, that's not the way cars are driven in real world, even for people who live in the flatlands.
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Therefore a non-hybrid version of the hybrid car which used the same engine as the hybrid would get better mileage than the hybrid due to the weight and transmission drag factors mentioned above in my previous post.
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No weight penalty in steady speed cruising on the flat. No extra transmission drag in a properly-designed hybrid system.
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A hybrid helps immensely in city driving since regenerative braking allows you to store and reuse a portion of the energy lost to heat in non-hybrids. If you look at the EPA mileage sticker, the city mileage on a hybrid is much higher than the city mileage of a non-hybrid and is often higher than the highway mileage of the hybrid, something never seen in non-hybrids.
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But not something seen in the real world, in my experience. At least with a properly-designed system like the Honda IMA. As I said earlier, I've no experience with Toyota's system, but my Insight will cruise 70-80 mpg in good conditions, but only averages around 40-50 in city driving.