[HKMk23]

“A good electric motor can have certain uses. It doesn’t have to be either/or, ...”

Absolutely.

Use high-torque electric power from 0-15mph or so — maybe 20 — then let the ICE take it the rest of the way. As the vehicle nears the transition speed, the ICE could rev up under no load for a smooth takeover, and all of it could vary under demand signals from the driver’s controls.

Really stomp on it, and electric torque could carry you to 25 or 30mph and the ICE would kick in turning 4000rpm in second gear entering the fat part of its HP curve. Even a Suburban could see 0-65mph in under 10sec.

[Dr. Sivana]

Use high-torque electric power from 0-15mph or so — maybe 20 — then let the ICE take it the rest of the way.

That wasn't really the point of my post. Hybrids certainly can (and do) have a role, too, but I was thinking more along the lines of electric vehicles for in town jaunts that are idle at night (e.g. delivery trucks, commuter cars) and ICE for long hauls.

I am not enamored with hybrids (even though I acknowledge the performance of some specialty ones) because I don't like the idea of wasting fuel hauling around big, heavy batteries, or electricity hauling around a big heavy ICE drive-train. For me, the added complexity is also a turn-off, though I acknowledge that the Prius (among others) do NOT have long-term reliability problems and the batteries age more gracefully than I had expected.

I just don't want that approach to become dominant, as it wipes out the sub-$2,000 used car segment that some folks need.