Are Gasoline engines inefficient?
When you drive a gas powered car you have two performance issues. The getup and go issue, and the driving down the road issue. A standard gas powered car will always be operating at peak performance. This means that all of its cylinders are firing even if it is not driving at all, like at a stop light. But you only need peak performance when you start to accelerate after a stop, after that you don’t need all of the cylinders to be working. Only 1% of the time, on a standard gas powered car, do you need to use all of your power, that is all of the cylinders. In contrast the engine in the hybrid car uses fewer cylinders. It is powerful enough to move the car along on the freeway, but when it needs to get the car moving in a hurry, or go up a steep hill, it needs help. That comes from the electric motor and battery. This provides the necessary extra power. Gasoline Power vs. Electric Power The gasoline-electric hybrid car is just what it sounds like – a cross between a gasoline-powered ca
