The idea now is specially a gas generator as opposed to car engine it seems.
Still a gas engine is a gas engine, LOL the twisted logic greens go through to worship gaia.
I, however, am uncomfortable with having two systems for potential failure: the gas generator component and EV component. I was concerned about the same with hybrids. Thus, my wife and I have the best of both worlds by one of our cars being a gas car (the pickup) and the other car being an EV. We use the gas pickup for long trips that have few fast EV chargers, or for if we go north in the winter (slow charging in the cold), or if there's pickup chores (both local chores and long trip chores), or for local driving if my wife and I need two cars to split up for the day. All other driving is in the EV to save gas (24K miles per year, about 18K miles charged at home, which is where the real gas savings is).
That's us being practical with the benefits of both EV's and gas cars to best accomplish our transportation needs and wants.
The idea now is specially a gas generator as opposed to car engine it seems.
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I actually wondered about that when the hybrids came out and when I rented one and marveled at the idea that you could turn your electric motors into instant alternators and recover energy from stopping rather than wasting it as friction with brakes. Why even have the gas motor on the powertrain at all? Why not just use it to for extra juice to the batteries when it’s needed?
Then the powertrain would be less complex and you can dedicate more of the overall architecture to the electric motors and their support accessories
The generator may not need gasoline if it’s only a generator. Probably any combustible hydrocarbon would do.