In article ,
Bill wrote:
I well remember hiring an early Prius. MPG around town was amazing. But on
a long journey with a full load trying to keep up with motorway speeds,
MPG was abysmal - far worse than an equivalent performance petrol car.
let alone diesel.

OK, but my first LR 110 with its ancient, low powered but utterly
reliable 2.25 petrol engine could barely reach motorway speeds on its
own, let alone keep up.

It was rated for towing 3.5 tons and we towed lower weights with it
fine. I always thought that the towing rating was based on structural
strength and weight of the towing vehicle rather than power.

It's going to need an excess of 'power' over what it needs for itself to
tow. Especially up hills. Hybrids tend to provide the extra power for hill
climbing etc via the electric motor. On a ordinary vehicle you can just
use a lower gear, and do it more slowly. With a hybrid, when the battery
is exhausted, no additional power.

Not to say you couldn't make a tow vehicle using the technology.

--
*How many roads must a man travel down before he admits he is lost? *

Dave Plowman London SW
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