Letter from Bill Eichelberger
Colorado Central – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine
Hi Ed & Martha,
I am writing about the article on page 7 of your March issue. The last paragraph says that hybrid engines could have problems at higher than 7,000 feet and I want to correct that impression.
I have driven a Toyota Prius hybrid car for over three years and 23,000 miles and we drive in the mountains often. We have driven to the top of Mt. Evans (14,000 feet) several times, and on one occasion my Prius, my wife’s Prius, and my brother’s Prius were all there at the same time.
We really like the way a Prius goes up to the Eisenhower tunnel. We put it in cruise control at 65 and it holds that speed all the way.
That article says that “hybrid engines use both electricity and gasoline.” Actually, it’s not a “hybrid engine.” There is a gasoline engine and an electric motor and they both provide power through a computer-controlled system that doesn’t have a transmission, though it acts like a continuously variable transmission. Even automatic transmission cars have to shift down going up I-70, but the Prius just goes up there smoothly all the way.
The following web site, written by an engineer who does not work for Toyota, gives lots of details about how the Prius works:
http://home.earthlink.net/~graham1/Prius/Prius.htm .
Bill Eichelberger
Denver
