It depends on why you are doing it. Doe the going green thing mean more or less than spending money?
Although . . i do wonder how much better it is. I mean . . it takes teh same amount of energy to move a one ton car one mile, right? Is the energy savigns just NIMBY?
According to The Second Law of Thermodynamics, you're right....but also wrong because while the car is generating kinetic energy from the gas engine, it's also generating electricity for the Electric motor. So the fuel is utilized "better". It's done by 3 mechanisms:
Regenerative Braking. The electric motor applies resistance to the drivetrain causing the wheels to slow down. In return, the energy from the wheels turns the motor, which functions as a generator, converting energy normally wasted during coasting and braking into electricity, which is stored in a battery until needed by the electric motor.
Electric Motor Drive/Assist. The electric motor provides additional power to assist the engine in accelerating, passing, or hill climbing. This allows a smaller, more efficient engine to be used. In some vehicles, the motor alone provides power for low-speed driving conditions where internal combustion engines are least efficient.
Automatic Start/Shutoff. Automatically shuts off the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop and restarts it when the accelerator is pressed. This prevents wasted energy from idling.
Unfortunately, teh Fourth Law of Thermodynamics also comes into play: No amount of fuel or electrical engerny applied to Zubaz's spelling can ever fix the prolbem.
