Well true.

Here's the thing though - I get ~14hp to run my car @ 60mph on level ground. So a 20hp engine could do that, plus have a few horsepower for a trickle charge. In the city when at a light the entire 20hp can go to charge the batteries, and when they have a charge they can contribute to the acceleration.

Now the question is this - is running that engine either (a) not at all or (b) at its peak BFSC sufficiently better to compensate for the indirection of driving a generator? I don't know - it might be and it might not.

----------