Crossover Hybrid: 500h - Comming Soon?

Driving it like a normal vehicle, no hypermilling techniques and quasi-aggressive those are the numbers. It would be shameful to have an RX puttering around town...

The few times I have tried to hypermill in the RXh, it would go up to 29-30. But it was way too much work for very little gain in that thing. It does not coast well for gliding.

Driving the Prius like the RXh I get low 40's. Driving the Prius with relative hypermilling, it shoots up to low 50's. 10mpg difference with minimal effort versus 4mpg with a helluvalot of effort is a big difference.

 

I'm having trouble convincing myself that hybridization of expensive lexus' and SUVs is a profitable move by Toyota. I wonder if 'leader' paranoia is setting in.

 

^^ Yes, that is why I advocate that we all drive hybrid Sherman tanks. The increase in mpg from 3 to 4 mpg will be astronomical amounts of fuel saved.

 

The army has them. There is one roaring around an army base in town.

And it is not 3mpg to 4mpg. It is more like 2gpm to 1gpm I am told.

That is GPM: Gallons per Mile

not miles per gallon...

 

The M1A2 has a 500lb battery and consumes 12 gallons/hour just sitting there. The advance of the tank was slowed by refueling in the persian gulf war. If I remember right its just over 200 miles on 500 gallons of JP8, if you are stopping along the way to kill the enemy. They are experimenting with a wankel genrator (APU) and a smaller battery pack. Definitely when you are out running your fuel supply line making the thing a hybrid makes a lot of sense. Still, maybe we have enough tanks and don't need to spend the massive amounts to replace the group. Maybe the new lithium technology and better turbines will give them more range.

 

Whatever. Just call me when they arrive at the dealer showroom.

 

Ok so a non-hybrid got 500/200 = 2.5 gallons per mile. Any idea what the use of the hybridized version is?

I would love someone to put a spare Prius "hybrid" emblem on the side of one of those tanks.