I've been told that the electric torque to lock up one of the MG's is so ridiculousy efficient it has just about no effect on mpgs. Someone locked up a freestanding transmission electrically with no electrical components attached. Just set it on a bench and attach a hand crank as a demonstration of regen braking. Once fully locked up, the strongest man there could not turn the damn thing! I had no chance at all beyond driving the regen braking part. There were no physical connections to lock it up, just the force between magnet and coil, no batteries attached.
A physical brake would net near zero mpg increase, and i may be mistaken, but hinder the electrical side of the prius.
A better approach to get more mpg's would be to try and make pulse and gliding easier. From what i can gather, it's a very precise skill to learn and limited to certain speeds.
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I try to be helpful. I'm not an expert.
Last edited by sheepdog 44; 10-26-2012 at 06:14 PM..
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