Interstellar Expansion- engines don't require reactors?

[sdrevik]

I loaded IE just to get the balloons for an Eve ascent (should be in the standard package, IMHO), and I started playing around with the plasma thruster and the D-T Vista engine.  The tutorial videos say I need reactors, generators, etc, but I have found with both of these I can just stick on liquid H2 tank and the engine, and boom!  I have insane levels of delta V.   With four plasma thrusters, I can make a SSTO for a 3-man command pod with something like 6000 dv.     With the Vista, I can make an interplanetary stage with something like 10,000 dv carrying my Eve descent/return vehicle (and it has something like 10,000 dv as well).   

Why don't I need the reactors and electricity as shown in the tutorials?  Are the tutorials old and the parts were changed to be hella-easy?

I really want to just have the balloons and nothing else... it's too tempting with all this stuff lying around (although it was nice to have some way to use my extra 25,000 science points in career mode...)