GM's 2005 Hybrid Silverado might be called "fake" because it's really a gas truck with an electric plug for powering chain saws and other tools. The engine stops when the truck stops, instead of idling, giving slight gas savings. It's started again by the beefed-up battery. On other days, it might be charitably be called a "mild hybrid", which also use tricks like "Displacement on Demand" for mild mpg savings.
"Weak" parallel hybrids are just one small step above real "fake" (sic) hybrids such as the mild hybrid.
But in 2006-7 almost every company will be offering scads of new "hybrids", trying to duplicate Toyota's success with the Prius. Many of these new offerings are as confusing as the mild hybrid.
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EVs compared with hybrids, fuel-cell vehicles, and gasoline-powered vehicles for pollution, energy, practicality. Letter-writing site to support the requirement that some percent of new cars be EVs by 2003. more
