cRiPpLe_rOoStEr -- The Lexus/Highlander 3rd member is three orange cable in and axle drive flanges out, so it's perfect for pure electric conversions, but a hybrid would have to be through-the-road.
Hersbird -- Bingo. The Prius' advantage is that aerodynamic body.
The title of this pic is
Screen shot 2013 03 27 at 12.29.57 PM. So March 2013.
The donor vehicle has a drag coefficient of 0.42 or so, the Prius is 0.25 or 0.26. The donor vehicle, in it's original small displacement, low compression configuration was good for up to 40MPG.
The front suspension components are Rabbit/Golf. It has a longitudinal transaxle with the older non-hypoid differential. The straight cut gears cost less power. It has a Porsche cooling fan running off the crankshaft at 1:1 and eleven blades in the fan instead of five to make up the difference. Into a Type III air ducting with the generator on it's own belt. Prius doesn't carry a lot of batteries but it would still lose weight.
It might run in the 36hp Challenge in the streamliner class.
