OT: Hybrid cars

[E.S. Rosenberg]

2013/9/16 Oleg Goldshmidt <pub at goldshmidt.org>:
> guy keren <guy.choo.keren at gmail.com> writes:
>
>> instead of going into theories - does your car have a fuel consumption
>> computer?
>
> Yes, it does, that's how I know that it is more efficient at higher
> speeds. I made a point to say that I never did systematic observations
> or statistical analyses, just watched the numbers occasionally out of
> curiousity. In effect it was exactly the kind of experiment you
> suggested.
>
> My car is different from yours, that's all. Your Prius, in particular,
> may use relatively more battery at lower highway speeds giving you
> momentarily better numbers (I don't know that, I am guessing). I assume
> it is not a plug-in, so at some point it will consume some fuel to
> recharge the battery and your numbers may be momentarily worse. I assume
> it is smart enough to do it when the engine is not under load and when
> you are in a lousy regime (in a traffic jam, etc.). This would be smart
> on two levels: a) charge the battery when you have spare capacity; b)
> this regime will improve the average numbers, exactly as I showed in the
> previous email.
>
> To emphasize again: all of the above regarding what your Prius may or
> may not do is guesswork. Not so unreasonable guesswork, I hope. But even
> if it is basically correct, it also may be just a component in the
> overall picture. My car has a significantly larger engine, probably uses
> a different AFR, definitely a completely different gearbox (and quite
> probably lower RPMs at higher speeds), different aerodynamics. It is not
> reasonable to expect a particular derived characteristic (optimal speed
> for fuel consumption) to be similar for suc different models. Even the
> markets for which the cars were designed by the manufacturers are
> completely different: Prius's target market is definitely closer to
> California than to Europe, while Passats are not very popular in the US
> but common in the Old World. Guess what: Americans drive much slower on
> average (highway speed limits between 55mph and 65mph). This could
> easily affect design decisions. [Again: no, I did not watch over the
> shoulders of Toyota or VW engineers.]
>
> --
> Oleg Goldshmidt | pub at goldshmidt.org
>
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European lawmakers when talking about pollution and efficiency
generally want to lower maximum speeds since it entails less pollution
and more fuel efficiency...
Results obviously may differ per car.
Regards,
Eliyahu - אליהו