> Do we know if there's a lot or a little lost electricity that is generated as a result of the main engines running?
That's not how it works. Car use an alternator instead of a generator because it lets them control how much electricity to make regardless of the speed at which the alternator spins. They basically vary the strength of the magnet in the alternator.
If they didn't the effect of "extra electricity" is a higher voltage, which would obviously be bad.
> I know cars waste a bunch of electricity (which is how hybrid batteries charge themselves when driving).
Hybrid batteries mostly save energy by capturing wasted energy when braking and when going downhill. Charging batteries from the engine makes the engine consume more gas.
> Hybrid batteries mostly save energy by capturing wasted energy when braking and when going downhill
Only for some workloads. A remarkable portion of the efficiency gain in hybrid vehicles is due to letting the ICE run at only the most efficient portion of the torque and power curves. In my experience (10 years in a Prius) regenerative braking is a distant second.
That's not how it works. Car use an alternator instead of a generator because it lets them control how much electricity to make regardless of the speed at which the alternator spins. They basically vary the strength of the magnet in the alternator.
If they didn't the effect of "extra electricity" is a higher voltage, which would obviously be bad.
> I know cars waste a bunch of electricity (which is how hybrid batteries charge themselves when driving).
Hybrid batteries mostly save energy by capturing wasted energy when braking and when going downhill. Charging batteries from the engine makes the engine consume more gas.