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Functions like a transmission in some senses |= a transmission. It *is* two motors, and the electricity is the common factor that lets them be used together. Neither motor can do it on it's own, and since both are used/combined/hybridized, that is certainly what a hybrid is at it's most basic. I don't understand why this isn't obvious.
There are many types of hybrids: parallel, series, semi-independent (with each motor able to be used by itself), combination of all three (like the Prius?), and there are so-called mild hybrids and so-called full hybrids. Some call an ICE car with the alternator only used when braking to charge the 12V starter battery, a form of hybrid.
A serial hybrid, to my mind is an EV with a range extender, that then allows the ICE to be used at it's peak efficiency all the time, and allows it to be a smaller displacement because it only needs to meet the average power level, not the peak. It eliminates the need for a transmission. An EV is about 2-3X more efficient than any ICE, and so why would adding range to an EV with a genset, suddenly turn the electric motor into a mere transmission?
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