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I’m comparing a conventional petrol car with a full hybrid, not a plug-in hybrid. The petrol car’s official highway mileage is better than its city mileage, which makes sense to me. Some hybrids seem to reverse that pattern.
I understand that regenerative braking in hybrids recovers some energy in stop-start traffic. What I don’t understand is why avoiding those stops altogether wouldn’t still be more efficient.
How much of the difference comes from engine shutdown and electric driving at low speeds, and how much comes from air resistance or the speeds used in the test cycle? My commute is mostly steady driving at 90–100 km/h, so I’m wondering how useful the combined mileage figure is for comparing these cars.
