Is the EDrive system gas-optional?
No. While the historical definition of a plug in hybrid might be closer to that of an electric vehicle with a gasoline range extender, the EDrive system takes advantage of the sophisticated full hybrid systems in vehicles like the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape hybrid. As such, the system is not presently designed to be fully capable at any speed in EV mode, but rather to share the burden between gasoline and electricity depending on vehicle operating requirements and operator demands. In the future, we anticipate the electrical contribution growing and the gasoline contribution shrinking, but at the moment the EDrive system for the Prius is not really gasoline optional.
