I keep hearing hybrid cars described as getting X MPG.  If you are talking about electricity, shouldn't't it be mpkwh?  Actually, it list 4 numbers, mpg city (gas), MPG highway (gas), mpkwh city (electric), mpkwh highway (electric)?  Isn't saying miles per GALLON a little misleading?

I was under the impression they listed MPC or Mile per Charge ? - after all, that's all that would count for evaluation purposes ?

Quote from: gBob on October 24, 2012, 04:33:02 PM
I was under the impression they listed MPC or Mile per Charge ? - after all, that's all that would count for evaluation purposes ?

So how do the numbers compare?  The commercials only tell you miles per gallon, are they saying MPG merely because of familiarity or because it "sounds" better than the miles per charge?  It just seems rather backwards to me to tout the fact that you are selling an electric car, then not tell the main peice of information that a person would want to know, the gas aspect of the car is supposed to be for "backup", right?

They are "miles per gallon" because a hybrid uses a small gas engine to charge the batteries which drive the electric motors that power the car. They are not true electric cars (except for the Leaf). They are Hybrids. They are actually a very good design. They problem with the Volt (a Second Generation Hybrid), is battery technology hasn't been developed to the point that it can meet consumer demand like the gasoline powered car.

We are close though. They are working on "batteries" (really super-capacitors) that can be charged in MINUTES and hold 10 times the power of today's batteries.  When they can mass produce these, the 100% electric can more than compete with the internal combustion engine.