Corner of Bourbon & Division

Regular gas cars are less efficient because the driver is constantly making the engine do things that are not as efficient as cruising at 55mph at 3000rpm. Hybrid cars take some of that inefficient stop-start usage away from the gas engine and drive it from the electric engine instead, which is a lot more energy efficient at low speeds. Electrics can also use regenerative braking to turn forward momentum into charge when you slow down the car, something which is completely wasted in a regular gas powered car.