[bluGill]

50%? That is only in the worst case of stop and go traffic.

The volt and pirus are a small aerodynamic cars. They would get in the upper 30mpg range with a traditional power train. On the highway they could get better mpg with the right traditional power train (0-60 times would be in the 20 second range - there are obvious reason nobody does this). That hybrid system is just extra weight once the battery is exhausted so you need a slightly bigger engine to haul it around on pure highway driving.

Don't get me wrong, hybrid makes sense for most people. However it isn't that the system is more efficient for everything, it is that for the way most people [want to] drive it pulls in enough advantages to be worth the negatives.

[dragonwriter]

> The volt and pirus are a small aerodynamic cars.

Priuses (except the first generation Prius and the current Prius C) aren't particulary small; they are midsize sedans.