Comments on: The Persistent and Elusive Dream of a Diesel Hybrid

By: freddy

freddy — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 17:37:30 +0000

All the “clerks” acting like they know what they are talking about in these comments would make any engineer laugh out loud (I know I did). VW polo diesel had better emissions than the Prius in all particulate tests in a study I read a few years ago in a popular mechanics. Diesel is the most efficient, feasible, internal combustion engine in production…hands down. All the people talking down the need for low end torque are not thinking about the lowered rpm through gear reduction needed to turn a generator or motor. Lowered RPM means lower fuel consumption. ALL VEHICLES BENEFIT FROM LOW END TORQUE. A diesel could easily double the mileage of a hybrid. < - that's a period

Try bringing a diesel (that has lower emissions than most gas) into the USA. It is nearly impossible. Toyota makes good diesels in their trucks worldwide. Why can’t Americans have a 40 mpg truck? Well the answer is you can, but you can’t drive it on any roads because the government wont let you register it (I have tried). (Early 80′s chevy luv diesel and VW trucks easily got 40mpg, and that ended faster than it started) Think about all the service industry out there and all the tax money our govt. would loose if they spent half as much on fuel. (pest control, gardening, pool service, US mail, plumbers, electricians, contractors…….ETC) I own a small fleet of four-banger rangers and at best they are 25 average mpg. Would I spend an extra 50k on diesel four-bangers and save 25k a year in fuel and have my trucks last twice as long??….my govt. will protect me from even making that decision.

By: Ralph Roberts

Ralph Roberts — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:53:09 +0000

Some of these nay-saying comments are hilarious. So much expert sounding opinion judiciously pointing out the infeasabilities of combining diesel and electric. Flash forward a couple of years and Volvo and VW both have diesel electrics in the works which will get 130-150 mpg for only few thousand dollars more–the diesel motor can run solo, charge the battery and still get 55mpg. I especially like how one of the comments makes this out to be a Obama (or Carter) problem–he’s so anti-business. Like there was so much innovation under Reagan and the Bushes. Funny how regular gasonline engine efficiency has almost doubled in some cars in the last three or four years. Clinton provided 80mpg offers, but they didn’t come to market. What a surprise. As someone briefly pointed out above: if you look at who stands to lose with the large scale production of highly efficient autos, then its pretty obvious who is standing in the way of improvements. Does one have to buy into conspiracy? Isn’t it obvious that big oil and big auto are heavily interconnected/inter-invested. It would be more surprising if they weren’t, wouldn’t it? To not do so would be foolish on their part. Would you be surprised that movie theater companies are invested in 3d glasses? If auto makers give you a longer lasting engine, who loses? If they give you cars that run on 1/6 the fuel, who loses? How many years have we had to read about the technology Europe uses–that “sadly” won’t make it to our shores. Americans will buy the hell out of Accords and Civics but just won’t buy diesels because they are “too dirty, smelly and noisy” (all factors which had been resolved with clean diesel before any of the above comments had been made) so we have to sit by and read about the Accord wagons in Europe getting 55 mpg with no technical innovation required. Funny how you don’t ever hear about any of this in the mainstream media (or actual numbers on how much oil the mysterious lands of China and India are using–actual charts show that world demand and US demand for petroleum are just about parrallel). I guess with gas at $4.50+ a few years ago and $4+ now the average American wouldn’t have been interested in such facts. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that automakers take up a huge proportion of the major networks’ primetime advertising? Why is the dream and many others elusive? Most of the people with the capital to develop these ideas and market infrastructure would be shooting themselves in the foot. Robbing themselves of an easily monopolized resource and source of capital. Wouldn’t it be smarter for them to just sandbag themselves under the guise of American tastes (which they have nothing to do with cultivating, of course) and cost ratios (which never entail details). Quick quiz: if you could go from a 2008 SUV to a 2013 Crossover Diesel/Electric that would save you about $30,000 in the first 10 years would you be willing to pay a $1500 to $4000 more at the outset. Do you really think that people are that stupid? Why do they not want these cars? Because they are being constantly told not to want them. They are being constanly bombarded with misinformation to confuse them, to scare them, to make them doubt, to see it as unmasculine or unpatriotic to have it as good as the European “socialists”. Wake up, or, wake someone else up. It all starts with information.

By: next gen.

next gen. — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 05:00:01 +0000

Well cobra that is the best question and one I’ve been stewing over. I think it’s a fuel that media dare not speak it’s name. Why? Because if a pro American put one together with American design and American workers our economy might fix itself!! Just think if you solar assisted the batteries on a well built diesel which actually burns cleaner than most fuels thank you minus the smell (which can be mitigated but no one especially those snobbish idiots making California laws admit to. Just think if you add biodiesel to that mix…. that would only make me hungry) you could increase you MPG decrease your emissions have engine that are tougher than oxen and they have become vastly more reliable as we have now figured out how to start a diesel in the cold. Besides diesel engines are more adaptable than some other with veggie oil and waste vegetable oil being adaptable option that give you such a range of big killing possibilities. Of course the automakers don’t have a thing to worry about they can make all sorts of fuel efficient cars at a decent price. You just are going to do that when you are playing both side of the efficiency battle against the middle. Make them chose what’s best for consumer and you will see them change their tune. To expensive to produce yeah right.

By: cobra232

cobra232 — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:51:09 +0000

Really diesels are not a good hybrid idea??? Why then have trains been diesel electric since WWII???

By: Hildy

Hildy — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:11:07 +0000

I own a 1990 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbo 2.5 that gives 25 mpg in city and up to 33 highway, if I drive within the 55 mph limit. With a fuel tank that hold 18.5 gals, I do very well. On November 27 I filled the tank and drove 175 miles from Silver Spring, MD to Lewisburg, PA. I drove around one full week and added about 75 miles. I drove back to Silver Spring on December 4 on the same tank of diesel, having added 425 miles since November 27. I filled that tank at that point and it took only 12.978 gals which means the tank had approximately 5.5 gals of diesel left. Of course, there is no heavy traffic or traffic jams where I live/work in PA. I know I got in the range of 650 miles on a tank of diesel. I would hate to part with this baby which will be 22 years on the road come February 2012. Incidentally, I had to change the exhaust system once and the shocks/struts are original. No internal engine work so far. The most expensive single item so far has been replacing glow plugs–a maximum of three times since I bought the car used in 1994 with 57,000 miles. I have added 115,000 since March 1994. Odometer currently reads approx. 172,000. The technology has improved significantly since 1990. I expect that my next car will be a diesel, most likely another Mercedes Benz. When I contacted Mercedes Benz last week to inquire about a diesel hybrid for the US market, they told me that Mercedes Benz has no plans to add a diesel hybrid to the US market into the foreseeable future.

By: Henrik

Henrik — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:58:34 +0000

THE DIESEL HYDBRID CAR IS ALLREADY LAUNCHED AND CAN BE BOUGHT (IN 11 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES SO FAR):
http://www.peugeot.com/en/products/cars/3008hybrid4.aspx

By: Henrik

Henrik — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:58:00 +0000

THE DIESEL HYDBRID CAR IS ALLREADY LAUNCHED AND CAN BE BOUGHT (IN 11 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES SO FAR):
http://www.peugeot.com/en/products/cars/3008hybrid4.aspx

By: Bill

Bill — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 02:43:09 +0000

Shines, 40% vs 39% is relative, so the diesels consume 1/3 less fuel than gasoline in the example and will burn essentially one third less fuel as a hybrid. So a prius that gets 50 mpgs would get 75mpgs as a diesel

By: Scott Allerdice

Scott Allerdice — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:39:26 +0000

In some past years, we also been told about the water car that will come out which replaces fuel and make people life more convenient and easier but still we are discussing fuel and diesel but still gas cars are still take the corner.iphone application development
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By: Antonio Manso

Antonio Manso — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 13:57:50 +0000

If you consider in-line (as opposed to parallel ) drive trains, Diesel engines can be used simply to recharge the battery, operating at optimal revs. Thus one can suppress clutches, gearboxes differencials and drive shafts.
Those cost money,and add to overall fuel inneficiency, don't they?
This way I don't see why a diesel hybrid should be too costly.