Breaking news! Chevy volt technically driven by gas engine!

[UFO]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Power source |= energy source.

By that definition, the Prius is not a hybrid.
The Insight is not a hybrid.

They only have one energy source.

But they do have two power sources. Like a diesel electric locomotive does.

Which diesel electric locomotive?

[dcb]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Like a diesel electric locomotive does.

please describe what precisely makes the electricity in a standard locomotive a distinct source, and not just a very temporary conversion (i.e. a glorified bicycle chain or a torque converter)?

[RobertSmalls]

My car's a hybrid because I move it out of the garage under human power, then down the driveway on electric power.

[dcb]

My car has electricity going to the radio = hybrid

[Frank Lee]

[SoobieOut]

I drive a Hybrid (HCH II), but more than one person has told me that it is not a REAL hybrid because it can not run only in electric mode. I told them it can for a very brief moment between 18.5 mph and 19 mph .

Fooling around with alternating current is just a waste of time. Nobody will use it, ever. Thomas Edison, 1889.

[NeilBlanchard]

Again, energy source |= power source.

Hybrid = combination

Synonyms:

* adjective: crossbred, mongrel, mixed
* noun: crossbreed, mongrel, cross, half-breed

*
hybrids plural

*
A thing made by combining two different elements; a mixture
o
the final text is a hybrid of the stage play and the film
*
The offspring of two plants or animals of different species or varieties, such as a mule (a hybrid of a donkey and a horse)
o
a hybrid of wheat and rye
*
A person of mixed racial or cultural origin
*
A word formed from elements taken from different languages, for example television (tele- from Greek, vision from Latin)
*
A hybrid car

A hybrid uses two (or more) power sources. Not two or more energy sources.

[autoteach]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Power source |= energy source.

By that definition, the Prius is not a hybrid.
The Insight is not a hybrid.

They only have one energy source.

But they do have two power sources. Like a diesel electric locomotive does.

You fail to see the difference, these cars have a storage medium, which power can be transfered to via regen braking and generation by the engine. If you totally disallowed generation by gasoline, then they could still generate electricity by braking using that to propel the vehicle as well as using the gasoline engine.

A diesel electric train cannot do this. it cant store, it cant generate separate from the diesel.


As a side note, I fail to see why people are so upset about this chevy. The Motor Trend test confirms serious potential, and if you have a car that goes down the highway and switches to gas only, how is this bad. I cant imagine that using the inefficiency of gas and electric combined, or using one to produce the other, is going to net better results than using each separate.

[NeilBlanchard]

A hybrid drivetrain does not require two energy sources, nor does it require a storage medium for all the different energy sources.

It only requires two or more power sources i.e. two kinds of motors.

Motor Trend Claims Volt Gets 127 MPG, Not Quite True – Gas 2.0

[dcb]

Diesel-electric transmission - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"In some high-efficiency applications, electrical energy may be stored in rechargeable batteries, in which case these vehicles can be considered as a class of hybrid electric vehicle."

what kind of term is "hybrid driveline" anyway?!? We were talking about hybrid vehicles. And a locomotive is still a crummy example for a car in the trying to justify series hybrid in range extended mode debate. In ragne extended mode I would most likely be cruising at a fairly constant speed/load headed out of town = parallel FTW. That's why I'm glad to see the volt with some parallel capability, because you can turn off the electric baggage and pretend its not a hybrid at cruise. two clutches sounds like a good deal too. It is obviously too much engine though (and $$).