So does a turbocharged gas engine charge the batteries faster?... I think not. The turbocharger would likely serve to reduce gas milage when trying to punch it from the line. Something's amiss here.

The biggest problem with the Prius is they can not meet demand for them currently. While I love the fact they are improving the technology, I also hope they are addressing the production issues.

Actually, I believe "off the line" is where battery power is used - two words: instant. torque. My guess is that the turbo would be optimized to increase efficiancy on the highway, through super-high compression ratios. Semi's actually use turbo's to increase fuel efficiancy.

yeah - production numbers do suck. Second biggest problem > The math doesn't work yet. They'll need to significantly improve volumes as well as MPG every couple of years to make this thing significant. From what I understand, there are a few components that work with the hybridy stuff that are in such short supply, they are holding eveyone off of higher production numbers. I think it was Ford bitching last year about Toyota hogging all the magic hybrid parts.

why not just go electric and skip the gas altogether

I'm still waiting for the atomic powered rocket engines, like the TV Batmobile. The future is not what it was.

would this utilize those "electric car" plugs in those unused parking spaces at malls? if so, AWESOME.

A turbodiesel/electric hybrid should be more efficient than the current offerings. Perhaps the next gen Priuses use similar or superior technology.

I'll believe it when I see it. For that matter, there's supposed to be a Prius out there that gets 60/51 mpg. I'll believe it when I see that too.

greysky, there's no downside to plugging in a hybrid to top up the battery pack, but making it big enough to give 200 mile range without a gas engine would require over a quarter ton of batteries. thrillhouse, the Prius already has about the best combination of low smog, low CO2, and good mileage according to the EPA. All it needs is more Americans making better choices about what they drive, as president George W. Bush recently encouraged them.

Surely there is a theoretical downside to topping up the battery pack, although probably only if you're parked at the top of a very steep hill; if the pack's maxed out then you will lose the regenerative energy from braking. Otherwise, assuming the electricity generation, transmission, etc. efficiencies and corresponding CO2 emissions (oh, and cost, if you care about that) from wherever you get electricity is better than using the car's own petrol engine, yes there's no downside.

skierpage- any reputable car mag will tell you that the math doesn't work on these things yet. test after test shows that the premium paid takes years (10+ in some cases) to recoup. And you won't keep it that long. This is a politiacal and ecological statement at best right now. As for your EPA ratings - they're a farse, even the EPA says so. Thats why they are being overhauled in '08 (i think...) See here and note the 4th paragraph. You should have known better that to turst the government - especially 20 year old testing standards. I was just as excited about hybrids and alternative fuels as anyone when this stuff started coming out. Its just a bit ahead of its time right now in terms of production volumes, performance, and cost.

thrillhouse, EVERY car is a statement. Some cars pollute way less than others, and writers at car mags (besides Jamie Kitman) seem incapable of comprehending that value. It will be a fine day when a hybrid option pays for itself, but I don't see buyers of other automotive statements like dub wheels, 310 horsepower engines, and 18-speaker satnav electronics packages getting the economic analysis third degree. I assume you drive a Kia Rio, mathematically the best car in America :-) (I don't drive a hybrid, I need AWD and the Ford Escape isn't the statement for me.)

people are all worried about the fuel consumption that their cars make.... but we forget that Oil is a more a part of our lives than just in our gas tanks. Okay, here we go: It takes oil to : -make the primer and paint that covers the car surfaces. -make the rubber for the tires -make the plastic for every single plastic part anywhere in and on the car (including the body sides to Saturns) -make the lubricants in and out of the engine -heat and form the glass -heat and form/mold aluminum/steel used in the frames and body sides and thats just the beginning. Oil is consumed in more than just our fuel tanks... So I say, go with Hydrogen, or whatever is next. Interesting fact: A single cow's gas over one year is more harmful to our atmosphere than a Land Rover driving 12,000 miles in the same time frame!

the prius is so fucking ugly. maybe if they made them more pleasing to the eyes then the whole production issue would be resolved. sales would increase ten fold. if i could stand the way they looked then maybe i would buy one. so in short...........first concentrate on the styling because it already gets great gas mileage, then think of ways to make it more peppy and fuel efficient.