Yes. That is the percentage of fuel energy that gets to your wheels. The rest is made into heat, and is why fuel engines need such big radiators - for every HP

Yes. That is the percentage of fuel energy that gets to your wheels. The rest is made into heat, and is why fuel engines need such big radiators - for every HP going to your wheels, a minimum of 2 go to the radiator. Hybrids just recapture the heat from the brakes, another major loss point, but unrelated to the engine. If you want to actually get better energy efficiency you need plug-in hybrid or fully electric.