How A Hybrid Works, infographic used courtesy of AutoMD

How A Hybrid Works, infographic used courtesy of AutoMD

As we've said before, we love infographics.

Some of our favorites come from AutoMD, which did the one we ran two weeks ago on rising gas prices and simple ways to boost your gas mileage.

Now they've tackled the perennial question: How does a hybrid car work?

Specifically, they dissect the third generation of Toyota Prius, launched in 2010 as the followup to the very successful 2004-2009 model.

The infographic lays out the various mechanical components, explains how they work together, and shows how otherwise wasted energy is recaptured via regenerative braking and used to charge a battery pack that then powers a pair of electric motors that supplement the engine power.

The 2011 Toyota Prius, for the record, is rated by the EPA at 51 mpg city, 48 mpg highway, giving it the highest combined gas mileage of any gasoline car sold in the U.S.: 50 mpg.

[infographic used with permission of AutoMD]

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