Oh goodie! It doesn't use fuel; it only uses electricity to power the wheels.
But, it uses fuel to MAKE electricity to charge the battery that supplies electricity to the motor that powers the wheels.
I'm glad they explained how it doesn't use fuel to power the wheels, but just to charge the (yet to be invented) battery that is powering the wheels.
Middle men are expensive: Engine, generator, battery, motor; vs engine, transmission. Do they make up the loss via eliminating the transmission? Regenerative braking?
Forty miles...and it is 55 miles north, or 55 miles south to the nearest "market town" that has any big stores. Nope; I'll pass.
The whole idea behind this is that mos of the power of your IC engine is needed for acceleration. Electric motors are even better at acceleration. Having a set of "buffer" batteries means that a tiny IC engine, just enough for cruising with a little extra to keep the batteries charged, is all this car needs.
"Forty miles...and it is 55 miles north, or 55 miles south to the nearest "market town" that has any big stores. Nope; I'll pass."
If you could "recharge" at your destination, your one hundred and ten mile journey would cost you a gallon of gas.
Forty miles on electricity (battery)
Fifteen miles on gas (generator)
Recharge while shopping
Forty miles on electricity again
Fifteen miles on gas to home
So even in an extreme case, it could be of benefit.
Rule number one when driving a hybrid: Only pick up hitchhikers at the tops of hill, and drop them off at the bottoms.