I’ve recently found out about biodiesel-sounds interesting.How do engines running on it perform at low temperatures?
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I’ve recently found out about biodiesel-sounds interesting.How do engines running on it perform at low temperatures?
Yes Chuck I agree everything in life has advantages and disadvantages but, the disadvantages of hybrids far outweigh the advantages. The exploitation of the Earth's natural resources for the minimal mileage gains of hybrids is what I can't understand. I don't know why you consider this info on electro-magnetic fields to be fictional. The truth will come out. Check with your sources Chuck. The energy problem is we are dealing with a finite fuel source the answer is an infinite one(liquid hydrogen). Hybrids and diesels are just temporary despite what the asian auto manufacturers tell you.
No - I did not know Dr. Walter.
"Hybrids and diesels are just temporary despite what the asian auto manufacturers tell you."
I certainly agree that fossil fuels are temporary. Hybrids and Diesels will tend to stretch it out a bit more. We have to potential to grow all the fuel we will ever need but the USA (and much of the world) suffer from a deadly affliction.
Lack of imagination.
Studies show that we could meet all of our transportation and fuel oil heating needs by constructing Algae growing and processing infrastructure around the Salton Sea. Think our "progressive" government will get the ball rolling?
Please don't hold your breath.
It's incrediability stupid to have more than one form of transportation fuel. We should/could have converted to one years ago.
Hydrogen and/or fuel cells will never become a practical method of transportation power. Those who are wasting time and tax-payers money on this are pissing into the wind.
Here are some genuie facts about the Prius. it uses 50% less fuel than a normal car of its size and it has 90% less pollution and that includes one heck of a sattelite navigation system
Wow, and none of you knew that locomotives are hybrids and that GM has built Diesel-electric trains since the 1940's. I truely think schools these days are not teaching history to well......
Well Bio-Diesels are nice and all but it does take a substantial amount of energy to produce the vegetable oil to make the Bio-Diesel. Sure there is plenty of waste oil for the small amount of consumption currently but growing plants to produce fuel for everyone is quite a task. Remember that all that fertilizer used to grow the corn comes from crude oil. Plus all the harvesting energy, as well as the energy needed to warm the oil in order to make Bio-Diesel.
Hydrogen is the fuel of the future but you also have to MAKE it. Most likely it will be used in fuel cells, due to it being safer than pumping hydrogen into a Diesel engine (which does work with very few alterations). But you need to electrolysize water, or use fossil fuels to produce the hydrogen.
Also plugging in your car does NOT make it more efficient. You are taking that energy from a power plant that probably burns coal or crude oil. That is a lot of emissions that never seem to be accounted for.
Really what needs to be done is converting to Nuclear Power, Super clean, super abundant source of energy. And to embrace as much solar, wind, geothermal, and tidal power sources as much as possible. Then running our cars of energy created by 'clean' means. There are certian pollutions associated with all of these power sources that will not present themselves until they are used on very large scales.
That or ride a bike like I do. 13 mile on way commute, done in 100 and 20 degree weather.
My study of the hybrid vs. diesel question for my own situation keeps leading me to a preference for diesel, until I remember that diesel also means Volkswagen's reliability rating, which is among the worst, and hybrid means Honda and Toyota's reliability ratings, which are the best. It's very frustrating.
Many of VW's worst problems were '99-2002. It seems that from 2003 onwards most of the bugs were worked out.
Both our VWs now have 50,000 km each on them and have been perfectly reliable. Maybe we're the exception. On the other hand we did have a 99 that was considerably more troublesome (though never left me stranded).
That said, I would avoid VWs in the first year or two of a new model. We bought both our current VWs near the end of the product cycle, something I'd recommend with VWs. Right now both the Jetta, and the new 2006 Passat (not available as a TDI though) are early in their product cycle, and have enough new features (like electromechanical steering) to make it wise to hesitate for a year or two.
But don't despair, that leaves the Golf, New Beetle and Jetta Wagons (which carry over into 2006 with the old body style) to chose from. A nice Jetta TDI wagon is about the same price as a Civic hybrid, gets consistently EPA or better mileage (easily 45 mpg highway with a manual transmission), and is much more practical (and very well equipped).
Mike G.
"My study of the hybrid vs. diesel question for my own situation keeps leading me to a preference for diesel, until I remember that diesel also means Volkswagen's reliability rating, which is among the worst, and hybrid means Honda and Toyota's reliability ratings, which are the best. It's very frustrating. "
Short answer: If you like doing your own maintenance and are willing to get involved with your car when necessary, you LOVE owning a VW, especially a DIESEL model because they're eaiser and cost less to maintain than their gasser counterparts. On the other hand, if you rely totally on a dealer for all maintenance and never touch anything on your car to maintain it, DON'T buy a VW, gas or diesel!
Longer answer:
I prefer the DIESEL myself. I have 2 of them: A 2002 VW Golf TDI and a 2005 VW Jetta Wagen TDI. Both give me 42-50 MPG while doing aggressive highway driving and I regularly go 700 miles between fillups of 15 gallons, costing around $38 at the current (Aug '05) prices. Fundamentally there are 3 reasons why I bought a DIESEL car and not a gasser hybrid: Economy, Longevity, and Performance. The car has butt-kicking torque to boot, making it fun to drive while getting great MPGs. I drive a lot, so these things are important to me. My VW DIESELs have worked out so well that I'm not going own a GASOLINE-powered car again if I can help it, including gasser hybrids.
The DIESELs also tend to be spot-on with their MPG numbers, no matter how they are driven. I do everything you're not supposed to do with a gasser hybrid to get great MPGs and my cars STILL get their published EPA numbers. There is currently nothing on the market in the USA that delivers the rich blend of Performance AND Economy plus longevity that the TDIs deliver.
BTW, with the VW TDI models, you don't have to worry about being unable to start it in the dead of winter. The VW TDIs are designed to be able to cold start down to -40F and they actually start better than most gassers do at -20F. You don't have to plug it in either (there's no block heater, not needed). These cars are popular in Canada in places that get a lot colder than in the the USA, so those of us in the "balmy" northeastern USA have nothing to worry about. They're not like Diesel cars of 25 years ago.
I also prefer the DIESELs because I like the experience of driving. One thing not mentioned in the DIESEL vs. Gasser Hybrid debate is the driving experience and fun factor. Overall, I like the DRIVEABILITY of the DIESEL much better because of its torquey response, making it easy to drive. You get the torquey feel and response of V6 or V8 gasser, minus a small gasser's high revs needed to deliver the torque.
I too shied away from VW a few years ago because of their (well-deserved) poor quality reputation. However, the DIESEL models (TDI engine) are statisitically insigificant in the quality surveys. The DIESELs are actually the most reliable VWs. Because it's a DIESEL, there's a lot less to maintain and less to wear out or fail. The most popular VW engine choices in the USA market are the VR6 and 1.8T gassers. Unfortunately, these engines are the most problematic, leading to the poor reliability ratings. The rest of the car is actually no more or less reliable than any other car and actually a decent car. Most of the problems are related to build quality and not due to poor design. Problems generally don't reappear once they've been fixed (properly!). Most people complaining about problems are blissfully unaware that they're actually being screwed by their dealer.
VWs are good cars and fun to drive and last a long time, but they have their quirks, like other European cars. Owning and living with a VW means you need to be aware of these quirks and deal be prepared to deal with them yourself or take it to a VW specialist (not a dealer!). If like doing your own maintenance (easiest on a DIESEL), you'll LOVE owning a VW, especially the DIESEL models. There's less to maintain than on the gassers plus it's easier to do and the intervals are longer as is typical with Diesels.
The number one problem with VWs is mainly due to incompetent dealer service. It's more of a problem with VW as a car company than with the cars themselves. If you have a problem with a VW, you're way better off to fix the problem yourself and avoid VW dealers as much as possible. You'll love owning a VW if you're like getting involved with your car and are willing to maintain it yourself. On the other hand, if you're somebody that relies totally on a dealer or somebody else to do ALL of your maintenance and you don't want to get involved at all, don't by any VW, gas or diesel! You'll be much better off with a Toyota or a Honda. A common complaint among VW owners is they love their cars but absolutely hate going to a dealer for service.
Finally, one important reason why I went the DIESEL route in addition to economy is long term ownership. A VW TDI engine can easily go more than 500k miles with proper maintenance. The car has a 12-year/unlimited mile rust warranty, unmatched by any Japanese car. Judging by the number of older VWs I see on the road an even an occassional VW Diesel Rabbit from the 70's and early 80's, VWs are definitely capable of lasting a LONG time. I drive about 1k miles per week, so longevity is VERY important. After 10 years of ownership, I'll have more than 500k miles on my TDI and it will still be going strong. A well maintained gasser hybrid can also go that long, but will probably be on its third set of batteries and on its second gasser engine by then. Not worth it IMHO compared to any modern DIESEL over the long haul.
VWs are good cars, but they have their quirks, making them not for everybody. Since I much prefer the DIESELs based on my VW TDI experience to date, I wish more car makers sold DIESEL cars in the USA. I wish VW would bring their Lupo model here which gets 81MPG with DIESEL. And too bad we're not getting the 77MPG DIESEL version of Mercedes/Zap SMART car (a micro 2-seater). We'll have to settle for the 37MPG gasser version instead. We also don't get the 35-40 MPG Toyota RAV4 Diesel or the 55MPG Toyota Corolla Diesel. The Ford Focus Diesel gets around 55MPG. The Mini-Cooper Diesel gets around 55MPG while outperforming its gasser counterpart. Many DIESELs available in Europe already outperform their gasser counterparts sold here in the USA while returning nearly twice the MPGs. We'll likely never see these great cars in the USA unless consumers start demanding them here.
DIESELs rule!
It's too bad http://www.dieselcars.com has already been claimed by a cyber-squatter.
in the market for a car, going the veggie diesel way. Having trouble finding a diesel. Automatically think VW, but....... Anyone got experience with a MERCI_BENZ or VOLVO bio-disesel convert. ? Please share.
With piezo fuel injectors and sulphur free diesel
(like the europeans have) coming soon diesels
made by vw, mercedes, bmw will win hands down
over the hybrids. Hybrids are getting an unfair
advantage from tax incentives. Even so they will
turn out to be a failure.
Consider this scenario: You are involved in an
accident. Your car is hit in the rear. Cant get out.
Gasoline is leaking from your crushed tank.
You know any little spark will likely make you
become cremated.
Another scenario. Your wrecked car has diesel in
the tank. If you are a smoker you can even light
a cigarette not worrying about being fried even
if the diesel flow thru your car.
all this sounds like a diesel-hybrid is the best long term design.
the concept of recovery of lost energy - breaking or coasting - should never be left out of car designs. it's just too basic & novel a system to skip.
a plug in veggie diesel hybrid just might be my next car. in what? 8 years? ~ maybe?
see ya
Here's an experiment:
Pour a gallon of DIESEL fuel down on the ground and throw a lighted match on it. The diesel fuel will EXTINGUISH the match!
DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME WITH GASOLINE!
Just something to think about if you're involved in an accident and you're trapped inside with fuel gushing out everywhere from your car's fuel tank.
having a diesel car you can even have home delivery of diesel..275gls x whatever number of
tanks you have. I have two tanks at home. Never
go to a gas station or worry about another oil
crises. My 2002 Jettta is fun to drive..great
passing power. It gets average 44-45 mpg in
mixed use. If I drive it hard and use a/c a lot
then it drops to 40-41mpg. On long trips I get
well over 50. Most reviews in newspapers says
diesels get up to 30% better mileage. Well the
VW TDi get almost 100% so I dont know where
they get this info from. While in Europe last month
I drove a MB CDI for a week and the mpg was over
40. And as new injectors (like ceramic piezo)
get widely used the hybrids might as well be
used as artificial reefs. They are just to complicated
and expensive to build.
y
vw makes the best diesel cars around
to all u battery boys and girls. My tdi has a trailer hitch and tows my 600hp race car to the dragstrip.How much can that 1.5 tow. I'll race u up hill without downshifting. Definition Torque. I see lots of used hybrids for sale, but not many tdi's they are so demanding carmax wants to buy it !
Looks like a consensus. What the world needs is a TDI hybrid. Then we can have great highway and great city MPG. Add a larger battery to the hybrid idea and plop a solar panel on the roof and it looks better still.
I prefer the biodiesel because it would put "our"
farmers back in business.
Does anyone know what the enviromental clean up
of smashed batteries would cost,"if" an accident were to happen to a hybrid car ?
well excuse me for not reading all post before asking such a silly question about enviromental
clean up of smashed batteries. Aparently NIMH
is 100% non toxic.
I just hope that the people with more brains than I
will get this figured out soon,b/c the cost of driving is killing my pay check.
TYVM
How about a 50 MPG diesel hybrid - for $20,000?
http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,67271,00.html
Dana, Opel / Vauxhall (General Motors indeed) has developed a concept Astra with the 1.7 CDTI 16v. (TDI) and two electric engines with 125bhp. I think it was presented at the 2005 Detroit Motor Show.
I guess there will be TDI-electric hybrid cars in the future, at least in Europe, where Diesel cars are sold more than Petrol ones (for instance, in Spain 65% of cars sold in 2004 were diesel, and 60% in Italy¡).
i have been driving vw diesel since 1977 of various designs from rabbit to dasher and by the way the dasher wagon in 79- 80 would give you 45-55 mpg if you have low drag high tire pressure set timing higher then you see a large increase mpg up to 65-70 but enough of this have converted vw to ev useing .rabbit and p/u truck 28 hp elect m and 120 volts of 6 vbatt ev 205 from chloride and the best i can get is 76 miles on a charge
but thats ok since i use solar power to charge batt,.
but the way to go is still vw diesel all things equal
didn't get to read every post, but a friend of mine is a sales manager for Mercedes. He recently told me that Merc. is focusing on Diesel and turbo diesel. 38% increase in MPG over gasoline enguines. Also mentioned that there is a new emission controller on there diesel enguines not available in the US that eliminated and emissions totally. But for whatever reason they haven't been able to introduce them to the US market due to regulations. the muffler supposedly has a acid which reacts with the exhaust, inturn eliminating the exhaust. I don't see Hybrids being practical presently. cost is to high to counter your fuel savings. I will probably buy a used TDI for now. and in South Florida diesel gas costs about 7-10 cents more than regular gasoline.
I feel I have to put in my 2 cents in, I have a VW Beetle Diesel, and absolutely LOVE it! It has plenty of power, doesn't polute as much as a gas auto, and gets GREAT milage-40-45 mpg! I will be getting the conversion kit when available to be able to run on the Biodiesel. The diesel engine was originally developed with G. W. Carver's assistance, to run on NON-fossel fuels! Why hasen't it been made available before now??? Oil company greed? I gotta wonder.
Bio-Diesel with UREA Injection - 80% pollution reduction. Honda proto-type engine, cleaner air
out the exhaust compared to the lab air in! Hydrogen vehicles - another government project
to waste money on. Why convert to pressured
tanks and specialized vehicles, when modification
of existing would make more sense. Driving spewing polluting, guzzling gas, insurance risks - is
not our right. We need to wise up to that fact.
Slow down long enough to look at the long term
effects and see what can be done to protect the
only planet option we have and insure our children a decent place to live. My Hybrid and I are done
preaching.
What is the replacement interval for the battery pack (maintenance schedule)?
What is the fee charged for disposal of the spent battery pack?
How many hours labor on the part of the service shop are req'd for the job?
What is the cost for the new battery pack that will replace the spent one?
I've found this site to be very helpful. I'm considering buying my first super high fuel economy vehicle and have been debating the hybris vs diesel options. One thing I haven't yet seen however in this string of information. Can anybody tell me how often the batteries must be replaced in hybrids and the cost of replacement? I've heard stories of thousands of dollars every six years or so. Is that true?
By the way...the holy grail of clean energy for transportation is fuel cells that recieve their hydrogen from NUCLEAR FUSION (not the nasty fission of today). My understanding is that this is still decades away and has been worked on for decades by the U.S., Japan, Europe and the former Soviet Union. It seems to me that if we're going to spend billions of tax payer dollars, this would be a far more noble effort for the masses than spending up to a trillion dollars (a thousand billion) on going to the moon and Mars.
Batteries should last the life of the car.
It depends on the car, too.
Toyota can't be driven with a flat battery and Honda can.
That was a big factor in my HCH purchase as I plan to drive mine well in excess of 300K miles.
You may not know that the battery is warrantied to 10 yr/150K miles.
Some states it is automatic, other states the warranty 7yr/100k miles.
I purchased an extended warranty to 10/150.
The six year life expectancy is a false rumour.
The thing that bothers me most is the complexity of the hybrid. And in theory converting one fuel into another one always results in a loss of efficiency, and with all of that I have not even addressed the issue of weight relaetd to battery packs. What makes the Hybrid tick is the fact that some energy can be recouped from braking. Why could a simple device not be installed on the rear axle of just about every front wheel drive car that would generate power to a significantly larger battery than we have now in most cars and when the car crawls at average speeds of 4 - 5 miles per hour in the city simply reverse the polarity on that generator and run on it. I do not have time, but I think I could design something like that as an after market device to be installed on the rear axle to essentially trudge you along in city traffic. I am sure this could dramatically improve the mileage of my Jetta TDI
I own a '98 Jetta TDI, and have owned a '92 Toyota Corolla and '86 Toyota pickup truck, so I have some experience with the reliability of both brands.
Reliability-wise, my '86 Toyota truck was the worse. The legendary 22R engine developed a head-gasket leak, which was a problem that plagued Toyota for a long time. Its funny, however, that Toyota never issued a formal recall on the problem, and Consumer Reports seemed to have ignored it completely.
My local engine-rebuild shop told me the problem was the quality of head gasket that Toyota uses.
The '92 Toyota Corolla was reliable, but after 5 years sounded like a rattle trap, with squeeks and rattles everywhere. And the rack & pinion steering unit started going out about the time we sold the car. It seems those units are sealed, and can't be repaired. The replacement cost is ~half of the blue book value.
My '98 VW TDI Jetta has been the nicest of the 3 vehicles. Its had a few maintenance issues, most of which were directly related to the factory-original battery, which leaked electrolyte onto the transmission linkage and power steering reservoir. I got an Optimus sealed red-top battery, and no issues since.
I had a check engine light for the glow-plugs. This is a known problem with the connector for the glow-plugs. Reseating the connector and applying contact cleaner seems to have cured the problem. BTW, the glow plug problem never effected the starting ability of the car.
The one chronic problem mosts TDI's have is the intake manifold/EGR system getting clogged. Read the TDI forums to get an update on this. There's whole do-it-yourself guides online to assist people in this. Too bad VW of America isn't interested in helping. This is directly attributable to the US EPA mandating an EGR system. Recirculating exhaust gasses back into the intake is effective for a gasoline engine to reburn unspent fuel vapors; doing so on a high-particulate engine like a diesel is asking for trouble. They don't do this on European-sold TDI's.
The head/intake and EGR exhaust heat exchanger all has to get removed and cleaned, to solve this problem.
Also, the newer ('03 and later) TDI's use a newer "Pumpe Duesse" fuel system, that seems to give less fuel efficiency, but more power. So, I'm glad I have my '98.
The overall build quality of the car is great, better than my previous 2 Toyotas. The car is 7 years old, and not a single rattle or squeek anywhere. And the black paint has held up well to the bright, southwest US sunlight. Better than my two Toyotas.
What would I purchase as my next high-mileage vehicle? The intake/EGR problem would prevent me from buying another TDI. VW needs to redesign this. Dealer service, and VW of America, needs to get a better attitude toward customer service. Although, from what I've read, a lot of Honda owners are having issues with their HCH regarding the software upgrade, so VW isn't the only brand with a customer relations issue.
Luckily, I have a good non-dealer VW repair shop locally to rely on.
But I can drive my TDI very aggressively, and still get low '40s in town, and 50 on the highway. I'm not sure if any hybrid will do that. At high altitudes in the american southwest, in the summer with AC on. On interstates with 85+ mph traffic. That's the real world.
What are the benefits of using biodiesel in engines?
Increased fuel economy and engine life span and a lower fuel consumption rate compared to other fuels. Due to the concentration of oxygen in biodiesel the fuel burns cleaner and more effectively.
I have owned vw and audi diesels in the past, and the best one was one that a former girlfriend had (before I wrecked it). 52 mpg at 80 mph. Went roundtrip from Chicago to Springfield, Il. on 8 gallons of diesel. But truth be told, it needed more guts. As far as the debate is concerned, the bottom line is that as long as greedy, psychopathic capitalists are running things, the best stuff will not be given to the general public. It is all about the economics, not about public welfare or a better environment. Everybody is in on the scam. Oil companies and vehicle manufacturers agree about how efficient things should be and how long they should last. Think about it, if a vehicle got over 150 mpg, how much profit would the energy producers lose? If your car that got 150 mpg lasted 10 times as long ( engines that produce high mpg don't get carboned up as easily and consequently last longer ) would you keep buying one every 2 - 5 years? No you wouldn't. Then the car and truck companies lose. The scammers have had the capabilty to do much better than what they are doing now and have had the technology for over 75 years. All the things that our country has experienced over the last 2-5 years is proof that we need to call these clowns to the deck and get some answers. Many inventors have been bought out or killed as a consequence of coming up with the ideas that can make America and other countries free from non renewable resources for fuel. Too many people have been marginalized because they found ways to get around the system. When billions of dollars are on the line, corporations will slice anyone's throat if it means that they lose out. Consumer says that they need better mpg, oil company raises cost of energy. Remember when gas was .99 to 1.09 a gallon? A person could go and buy that SUV, pay the note and insurance and it didn't hurt too bad gas wise. Then auto makers being automakers start making things better, making improvements, or so it seems, so the consumer can come back for the latest and greatest trick. "Hey, the Prius gets 60 mpg! Wow! Plunk down 28k and have the privilege of being green with style! Leonardo DiCaprio drives one and he's loaded!" Bullmess! That Prius should get over 255 mpg. And the diesel cars and trucks? At least 5 times what they get now. It has already been done. And what about gasoline powered vehicles? One head of GM said in 1929 that by 1959 cars should get over 265 mpg! But the technology has been suppressed for years, because it would mean someone won't get paid. I mean we can make a vehicle run on water if we wanted to, we can make batteries that can get more than 300 miles out of a charge, we can do whatever we want. But the bottom line is unless we confront the real problem, those bastards who make a living lying to the public about what is in the earth, what can be done and not done with technology, how much it costs, etc. we will never be free. Politicians and lawyers are bought and sold by those same people to keep things just as they are and they get paid well to keep the lies going. That's the reality. So in conclusion, I believe the ultimate solution is a multifuel capable, direct injected hybrid as a stop gap until the revolutionary stuff comes.
SteveR,
You have a point....but I think you drank a little too much kool-aid today. Yes, the almighty dollar is undoubtedly responsible for some not-so-environmentally-responsible decisions by the automotive and petrochemical companies in the last 75 years or so. But it is not nearly as easy as you make it sound.
Yes, we undoubtedly could have developed far far more fuel efficient vehicles. But it is not through some magical technology that is being hidden from us. Rather, such improvements could be made through a reordering of priorities when designing new vehicles. For instance:
1. Slower less responsive vehicles
2. Drastically smaller vehicles
3. Fewer creature comforts
4. Far lighter vehicles
5. More jellybean-shaped vehicles
So, did we end up where we are now because of some grand conspiracy? Maybe a little bit, but mainly it is simply a result of responding to the marketplace in a way that values profit over environmental responsibility. Customers haven't wanted tiny jellybean shaped cars that are really slow but get fantastic mpg. Especially not considering that while these vehicles might be perfectly safe when colliding when like-sized cars, they would be annihilated when impacted by the behemoths driving around today.
Don't get me wrong....there is a special place in enviro-h*ll for the big three. But it is not the grand conspiracy that you make it out to be. The American consumer deserves more than his/her fair share of the blame for where we are today.
You can't blame the Big Three for responding to market demand. The real blame lies with us. Recently in Quebec the price of fuel hit $1.47 per liter, or roughly $4.73/US gallon.
Do you think that slowed down the monster SUVs? Not! We drive two TDIs, that already consume 1/3 as much fuel as a V8 SUV, and we slowed down. But the SUVs did not.
I'm afraid the price of fuel will have to increase to the point where it really bites before the market place *forces* the Big Three to respond.
Of course, the Big Three being what they are, the foreigners will respond more quickly with the proper products, and the Big Three will be wailing to the government for another bailout.
Unless they jump quickly and rely on some of their European-market diesel technology to bail them out in a hurry.
Mike G.
Why all the talk about diesels for the sake of diesels in a hybrid discussion group?
I'm not at all opposed to diesels, I used to love driving a '79 diesel Rabbit although it was certainly a wimp compared with what an electric drive can do.
I'd be particularly interested in seeing a diesel strong plug-in hybrid (I define strong hybrid as a hybrid where the electric drive can propel the vehicle through the entire speed range without the ICE) with an electric motor that would allow the diesel to operate in its most efficient and low polluting state while letting the electric take the load during acceration when the diesel takes a lot of its environmental hits and suffers from wear and tear the most.
Right now, I'm driving a rented Renault diesel in Germany and I'll admit that its a lot quieter and smoother than the old Rabbit.
A strong hybrid that could run off of bio-diesel or regular diesel, or electricity (I'd like about 30 miles of electric only range), one would have a lot of options for sustainable fuel sources.
Of course, as we all know, the gas mileage could easily climb into the 3 digits and acceleration (0-60) could drop well into the single digits simulataneously!
I know that I read an article in either Popular Science or Popular Mechanics YEARS ago in which VW was testing a diesel hybrid. This was before the Insight was introduced. I don't know why it was abandoned, but I imagine that it would be an expensive car to produce. The cheapest VW diesel is the Golf at just over 18k. Add some motors and a few huge batteries and that would likely raise the cost to around 25k (just an estimate) or more.
Does anyone else remember that article?
Guess I don't understand why diesel-hybrids have apparently been shelved because they're "too expensive" (approximately $8K more than an equivalent production model), while auto manufacturers are feverishly working on fuel cells that are as much as 40 times as expensive as current ICEs? The GM "Precept" (their full-sized PNGV vehicle - a diesel-hybrid) obtained 80 mpg combined (and that's gasoline equivalent - it actually got > 90 mpg on diesel). Sure, fuel cell costs would probably decrease with mass production, but one would think diesel-hybrids would also.
Many studies have suggested that fuel cells will not be better than diesel-hybrids even with "agressive" R&D. Yet we continue to march down the fuel cell road. Go figure.
Biodiesel-hybrids sound like the best strategy, at least for the foreseeable future.
Let me make this clear to all of you... A DEISEL HYBRID IS NOT A NEW CONCEPT.....PERIOD!!!!!
Now repeat after me:
A locomotive is a Diesel Hyrbrid
A locomotive is a Diesel Hyrbrid
A locomotive is a Diesel Hyrbrid
A locomotive is a Diesel Hyrbrid
Now can we stop talking about the hyrbid diesel "technology" since it is not new technology, but old technology..............