> I like the hybrid idea, as it means that in city crawl, the engine 
 > can be cut
 > and the battery do its thing quite adequately without stinkin' the 
 > air. And on
 > the open road run the IC engine.   Downhill, or while braking the 
 > 
 > I heard 1000 miles per tankful using a turbine
 >MR> IC engine for a typical size U.S.A. car on a home power tv show  
recently.
 > 
 > This "hybrid" was known and theorised more than 40 years ago. Where 
 > the hell are the working prototypes?
Alec,
 There have been many working prototypes of hybrid autos, and they work very 
well indeed. The biggest problem is cost; you need TWO drivelines, and their 
smaller size doesn't mean proportionally smaller cost. IE: that little 
2-cylinder engine doesn't cost half as much as today's 4-cylinder jobs, it's 
more like 2/3 or 3/4. The battery is much smaller than in a pure EV, but the 
motor is exactly the same. Add the complication of the controls, and you have 
a heavy, expensive vehicle. Yeah, it gets good mileage, and yeah, it pollutes 
a bit less, but folks aren't willing to pay the price until it's mandated.
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