I've thought of a plugin hybrid as the same as a regular hybrid, but with a bigger battery. And a regular hybrid does have a somewhat simpler transmission (sim

I've thought of a plugin hybrid as the same as a regular hybrid, but with a bigger battery. And a regular hybrid does have a somewhat simpler transmission (simple in the mechanical sense -- only one planetary gear system, plus two motor/generators, but quite a bit of software control is needed). Take a look at one of the videos of a Ford or Toyota ECVT transmission teardown. These things are a beautiful in the mechanical sense.