Re: aptera 150 miles per charge

All hybrid vehicles I'm aware of have the same deficiency.  They have a combustion engine that is large enough to move the vehicle briskly all by itself and an electric motor fitted so that both engines/motors drive through the same transmission.

You have mentioned the benefit (savings) of being able to charge the thing up at home but don't point out that hybrides have very short range on battery power alone. Most auto trips are 10 miles or less, so, here's what I would like in a hybrid.

A combustion engine and an electric motor sized so that they will both have to run to provide the performance that we need for hiway travel.  Each engine drives the wheels through independent automatic transmissions. The combution engine permanently connected to a separate alternator, and a battery capacity capable of moving the vehicle 10 miles on electric power alone. 

This will allow the electric drive motor to generate while braking and the combustion engine to run at optimum speed to recharge or replenish the batteries as needed.

Build something like that and you will outsell the air driven cars now being built by Tata in India.  We still need the inefficient infernal combustion thing to melt the ice in the winter, but a small engine with the radiator under the driver's seat will be just fine.

athena