to hybrid or not...

'You guys must be making a hybrid?'

'Ummm...no!'

'Then, where will all this efficiency come from?'

Yeah, where will all the efficiency come from?

Ok, so there are two different things. The competition. The technology.

With the Shell Eco Marathon in mind, there is no way a vehicle will do a good MPG figure without the engine ever being turned off (fuel supply cut-off). So, even if we hybridize, the engine will have to be turned off (and not merely idle). That takes away much of the charm from hybrid, doesn't it?

What a hybrid car, Toyota Prius, for example as it's something gaining popularity in Pakistan, does is to manage engine's power smartly, with all those computers and gizmos on board. The power from the engine is saved in batteries, used by motors, so much so that a smart distribution gives good mileage. But with all these components, there is an innate inefficiency attributable to each component. If these are managed smartly, the benefit of hybrid overcome the inefficiencies, and the Prius will give something like 40-45 km/L. In normal (less-than-optimum) use, it might not even go above 20 km/L.

So, smart driving is integral to mileage as well. For hybrid too. What if we simply remove the inefficiencies and keep the smart-driving thing? Wouldn't that be better?

In view of these arguments - posed by ourselves - Project Kaar will not hybridize. Until actual figures are available, this is mere speculation...engineering style. So, while our project is a fight against inefficiency and un-eco attitudes, it is also a race with technology, a race between plain, simple old mechanical and complicated new computers...