As Jesse's hybrid accelerates to pass a car on the highway, he notices that his gas mileage drops from 40 miles per gallon to 15
. One likely explanation for this is: A. the engine is powered by a biofuel that is not needed while cruising.
B. his car operates on battery power when he begins to accelerate.
C. his car has turned on more pistons to provide the extra energy needed to accelerate.
D. his car operates only on battery power on the highway.
The most likely explanation for this observation is C. his car has turned on more pistons to provide the extra energy needed to accelerate.
When cruising, hybrid cars are able to employ electrical energy to drive the car. Moreover, even if a vehicle is not a hybrid, a greater amount of fuel is consumed when one accelerates because the vehicle has to generate a force larger than the force of air resistance in order for it to accelerate. This increased demand of force reduces the vehicle's fuel economy.
