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I thought this was an interesting snippet of news. The Toyota Prius type of switching between electric and petrol engine drive is mechanically complex and, I suspect, heavy and expensive. It also means the petrol engine needs to stay where it normally would be in a conventional car,
But if I understand the GM idea, the only drive is an electric motor and a secondary petrol engine only comes online to recharge the batteries when needed. Having to plug-in to an electricity supply for hours at a time is a huge disadvantage for electric-only vehicles.
This kind of reminds me of diesel-electric trains - these are electric drive trains but they use onboard diesele engines as generators to power the electric motors.
Ian
PS I'd be interested to hear what Danny has to say about this as he is an ex-owner of a Prius
But if I understand the GM idea, the only drive is an electric motor and a secondary petrol engine only comes online to recharge the batteries when needed. Having to plug-in to an electricity supply for hours at a time is a huge disadvantage for electric-only vehicles.
This kind of reminds me of diesel-electric trains - these are electric drive trains but they use onboard diesele engines as generators to power the electric motors.
Ian
PS I'd be interested to hear what Danny has to say about this as he is an ex-owner of a Prius