The Prius looks and drives like any other compact car. Only by looking at a little dashboard computer screen can you tell it is special. The screen shows when the gasoline motor is powering the wheels, when the battery is doing it. It shows when the gas engine is charging the battery. And every time I hit the brake pedal, the screen indicates the heat from the brakes, which is an energy resource wasted in all other cars, is being captured and is recharging the battery.
Drivers never recharge the battery.
Just fill up on regular gas and you're off. Which means every driver's gasoline budget would be cut in half. Toyota calculates that it is 90 percent cleaner than standard cars, and 75 percent cleaner than even the Ultra Low Emission Vehicle class which includes Honda's Insight. The hybrid technology can be applied to standard sedans and even those gas guzzling sports utility vehicles. It is their fault but also ours.