Quote:
Originally Posted by M_Chronos
My understanding is that the motor is not integrated. It is a belt driven starter / generator to make start / stop and the coasting sailing mode more efficient and seamless.
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While this is true, even the Mercedes M256 implementation (for example) where the motor is sandwiched between the engine and transmission is still only a 48V system and cannot power the vehicle on its own (for any appreciable length of time).
It's likely true that a belt driven "full hybrid" would not be practical in the real world. Still, it's an implementation detail (even though I agree BMW's is inferior on a purely technical basis). Practically speaking, the real answer to the question "Is it a 'true' hybrid?" is "Does the electric motor move the car on its own or not?". I'd suggest this is the basis on which vehicles are and, hopefully, will continue to be counted / not-counted toward "electrified vehicle" sales (for those keeping score).