Elon Musk doesnt pull any punches, and has made many remarks that draw attention, and well he's at it again. He now questions the idea that a Prius is a true hybrid.
Musk has snuffed at the high tech Prius in the past, and in most automotive circles, the Prius is synonymous with environmentally thinking. It's the high tech hybrid that delivers outstanding fuel efficiency at an affordable price. But Musk is not satisfied with people calling it a hybrid.
According to Musk, "A Prius is not a true hybrid, really. The current Prius is like, 2 percent electric. It's a gasoline car with slightly better mileage."
His remarks will certainly irritate Toyota execs and engineers, but they likely won't respond and play into the bashing game. Instead, we will look at the statement above in search of truth.
Hybrid definition: the combination of two or more different things aimed at achieving a particular goal. Clearly, the Prius combines electric and gasoline power making it a hybrid.
Slightly better gas mileage: Most Prius sized vehicles with 5 passenger capability would return around 24 city mpg and 30 highway mpg with a combined rating of around 27 mpg. The Prius improves on those numbers by nearly 90 percent returning a combined rating around 50 mpg. 90 percent is not slightly better, it's significantly better.
2 percent electric: By weight, the Prius battery pack comes in around 100 pounds. If that's only 2 percent of the battery pack needed for a full electric vehicle, than the full electric battery pack would topple the scales at an astounding 5,000 pounds.
Musk comments without supporting his claims and suggests that other vehicles are far inferior to the Tesla products. But many of his words are out of line with reality and disrespectful of over innovative companies that bring forth great vehicles, both hybrid and electric.
Source: CNET.com
