I expect the best way to use ion thrusters would be to combine them with chemical engines. Use chemical engines for the high thrust trans-Mars injection burn s

I expect the best way to use ion thrusters would be to combine them with chemical engines. Use chemical engines for the high thrust trans-Mars injection burn so you can exploit the Oberth effect, then use ion thrust to continuously accelerate the ship for a (modest but still helpful) reduction in travel time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberth_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberth_effect