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And if there is spare energy to charge a battery, would it not actually be more efficient to just run the efficient engine on its own?
To do what?
If the engine is running but not using the power it produces to move the car (because it’s coasting or braking or travelling at a speed it doesn’t need all its power to maintain) it doesn’t use it to do anything else other than run the alternator, which is a tiny requirement. [Modern] Hybrids use that otherwise wasted excess energy to make electricity.
Hefty
Ludd
Fair enough, I wasn’t aware that Toyota had this edge - but aren’t most new cars more efficient than their older equivalents? And if there is spare energy to charge a battery, would it not actually be more efficient to just run the efficient engine on its own?
I’m interested and willing to be persuaded, as our life at the moment includes some fairly frequent longer trips to see elderly parents where time is at a premium and not having to stop and charge would be a great help. We are currently using a petrol car for most of those trips.