21 March

This is the only way to make a combustion engine a useful thing. Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive, a marvel of engineering. Using this, the power used by the driver is completely decoupled from the power source (mechanical or electrical), so that both motors can run in their optimum power ranges. There are 4 clutches, and the vehicle can operate anywhere on a continuum from full electric to full petrol, or any mix of the two. The system blends the two power sources for optimum power and efficiency, at every speed. Why hybrids are the best fun cars to drive, as well as being super-efficient. You get peak torque and power at every point of your driving. To make it even more efficient, they use an Atkinson Cycle petrol engine, which is high efficiency but low torque. The hybrid car doesn't need a high torque petrol engine, because it has the electric motors for that, which smash combustion engines out of the park for torque at low speeds.