[marricks]

I heard that claim before, that Tesla's aren't a huge increase in efficiency over a Prius. It was based on the fact that they were powered by the grid and a mix of coal, gas, and hydro power in the US which generates carbon emisisons.

Assuming the future goes more green, which it getting looks that way, electric cars will get more efficient over time since the grid will change.

Your current Prius will always be the same level of efficiency though. A 40 mpg car won't magically become a 800 mpg one like an electric one will when it's powered by solar.

[esturk]

What do you mean by the same level of efficiency? I'm not sure if you're trying to shit on the Prius brand but every Prius generation have improved the MPG efficiency by ~10%.

It started at 40 mpg, then 44.5, then 50, and now the latest is 55.

[marricks]

You don't understand what I'm saying. A 40 mpg Prius will always be a 40 mpg Prius. It's tied to the pump. It has to burn gas.

A Tesla will get more efficient as the grid gets more efficient because it only uses electricity. That also means when it runs on solar it will be impossible to beat against gas cars. Make sense? This is why we shouldn't settle for hybrids.

[ZeroGravitas]

You can now get a plug-in Prius. So, depending on how their mpg is calculated, cleaner electricity may have an effect. The batteries are still small, but the same argument that applies to short range EVs applies, most journeys are relatively short commutes, not long distance, and so plug in hybrids can spend a lot of time on electricity alone if they are topped up every time the reach home (and/or work).