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Old 03-22-2009, 02:45 PM   #11 (permalink)
jamesqf
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wagonman76 View Post
And isn't a hybrid about the same efficiency as a typical sedan when driven nonstop on a long trip (like the straight 350 miles from the chart)? The big gains come in the city when you aren't just sitting in traffic and burning gas.
As a matter of fact, no, at least not if you take the Honda Insight to be a typical hybrid. It gets its biggest efficiency gain from having a smaller engine, which runs closer to BSFC optimum in highway cruising. Highway cruising is where it does best*: given a fairly flat road & no headwinds (both rare in these parts) I can often cruise at 80+ mpg. In urban driving, I often drop below 50.

*OK, what it would really do best would be level 2-lane country roads with no stops, where I could stay at 50-60 mph, but there's only one stretch of that around here, about 5 miles long. I can do close to 100 mpg on that bit, if the phase of the moon is right :-)

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