How does that help HIGHWAY mileage?
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Everything has inertia; if it has a mass, it has inertia. A hybrid reclaims energy through the fundamentals of physics. Do you remember any high school or college physics?...
...On a hybrid that has regenerative brakes, you can reclaim some of this energy that would normally be lost due to braking. Using the vehicle's inertia is the key. What is inertia? It is basically what makes something difficult to start moving and what makes something hard to stop moving....
...Thus, through the technology of the motor and motor controller, the force at the wheels becomes torque on the electric motor shaft. The magnets on the shaft of the motor (called the rotor—the moving part of the motor) move past the electric coils on the stator (the stationary part of the motor), passing the magnetic fields of the magnets through the coils, producing electricity. This electricity becomes electrical energy, which is pumped back to the battery. This, in turn, charges the hybrid battery pack. This is where the comment “regeneration” or “reclaiming energy” comes from... http://www.hybridcars.com/components/regenerative-braking.html
I remember just enough high school physics to know that if you don't press the brakes, you can't take advantage of regenerative braking.
My folks live about 800 miles away. If I didn't have to eat or take a leak for about 13 1/2 hours, I could drive there in my 2000 Acura 3.2 TL stopping for gas only once.