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Originally Posted by 123
Hmmm I think everyone miss understood what I was asking. What I am trying to figure out is how much of an mpg increase does the electric hybrid system add to fuel economy? So what would mpg be if the car only had ICE like a normal car vs the same car with hybrid system?
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The Prius is considered a sluggish car with a fully functioning engine/MG hybrid, so it would be awful to accelerate without the electric motor (by U.S. standards).
That said, your question is highly dependent on who is driving the car and what the drive cycle looks like. If the drive cycle were 100% flat freeway, the Prius would get better fuel economy with a manual transmission and no electric/hybrid system. Many people here could probably get close to the same efficiency without the hybrid system in mixed driving.
The electric motor is not efficient because the power source for the battery comes from the gas engine. It is inefficient to charge a battery with a gas engine and then convert the electricity back to mechanical energy. The only time electric power is efficient is in recapturing the energy lost during braking. The Prius does this at about 30% efficiency.
Hybrid systems are primarily for making a car efficient despite an inefficient driver. They also allow the engine to be smaller sized, less powerful, and more fuel efficient. Skilled drivers that are good at minimizing braking see much less benefit from a hybrid system.