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Because
petrol motors are least efficient when the vehicle accelarates or
idles, this is when the Prius petrol electric/drive train assists
the most. When accellerating, the electric motor assists or replaces
the petrol motor. When idling, the petrol motor shuts off all together.
Overall
the Prius uses about half as much fuel as an equivalent sized car.
This results in a 50% reduction in greenhouse emissions.
 However,
because the Prius' electric assist is of greatest help when the
vehicle is in what would normally be its most inefficient mode (accelerating),
emissions such as NOx, CO, SO2, ozone and other air pollutants
are reduced by up to 80%.
The
importance of the Prius is that it is the first commercially available
hybrid car. The Prius sets the scene for a whole new generation
of hybrid vehicles. In turn, hybrid technology provides an important
technological step towards the vehicles of the near future that
use hydrogen for fuel and ‘fuel cells’ as a replacement for petrol
engines.
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