re: Anyone looking into the electric vehicle market?

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You state the energy deferred to charge the batteries would not be available to move the vehicle but is it more of a case that it wouldn't be available to move the vehicle, as efficiently? If my engine is not powerful enough to run an alternator to charge a battery and make headway at the same time its extremely under powered.

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Your engine can obviously charge your battery and move the vechile at the same time, but the energy your are putting into the battery ultimately comes out of your fuel tank. It may be a insignificant amount that would not be noticed, but that is the only source of energy in your vehiclle engine and alternator are simply a conversion devices, and the battery a storage device. With the losses involved in the process I cant see any reason to charge the battery from the engine in a hybrid for the purpose of propelling the vehicle. Using a small alternator to charge the battery to restore power used in starting the engine of a hybrid, and powering electronics in the vechile obviously makes sense.