Excellent question.
BTW, why not hybridize a hi-tech diesel car?
“Why not hybridize a diesel”
Volkswagen is already doing this with its new SUV. Can’t remember the name of it though
why not hybridize a hi-tech diesel car?Why won’t bring hi-end diesels here?
I’ve always said (on the basis of mechanical engineering lab work in college) that anyone who claims to be going all out for fuel economy - and what else is a hybrid supposed to be? - isn’t really trying if they’re using a spark-ignition engine instead of a diesel.But then, what actually is the point of going full-bore for fuel economy when we have shale oil and gas? Speaking of natural gas, how much better is an electric car than a CNG-fueled car for anything? Incidentally, it’s possible to use (a lean mixture of) NG in a diesel engine, using the fuel oil injectors only to initiate combustion. Highly efficient.The historic limitation of the diesel, besides initial cost, weight, and the fuel-oil smell, has been flexibility - the power curve vs RPM is pretty much linear up to the (low, due to high piston mass) RPM red line. Which tends to require a lot of gear shifting. But a hybrid shouldn’t have the same problem with that . . .
My conclusion is that they don’t use diesels in hybrid designs because of weight and initial cost. The high gas mileage you already get from the hybrid feature reduces the payoff in fuel economy of changing to diesel prime mover, and the high cost and weight of the hybrid makes the high cost and weight of the diesel that much more painful. I guess putting a diesel in a hybrid is “a bridge too far . . ."
>>>>Why won’t bring hi-end diesels here?
>>Excellent question.
The real reason we don’t get more here, vs. what is offered in Europe, is over-regulation. EPA mileage and NHTSA crash test certifications are very expensive, and must be performed for every body/engine/transmission variation.
And Sooth, see my previous regarding what Audi is doing.
>>>Why won’t bring hi-end diesels here?
Excellent question.
BTW, why not hybridize a hi-tech diesel car?<<<
There is no sense to do it at all. I think one of the most fuel efficient cars on any market is a diesel Kia Rio CRDi. It makes 88 mpg and sells at about 12 thousand euro.
Now imagine you are making a hybrid out of it to add some miles more. First of all it will be at least twice more expensive car. Add a battery issues and no sane greedy German will ever buy it even if it won’t eat any fuel at all. It is the most efficient vehicle already!
And there are about a dozen other models by Seat, Fiat, Skoda, VW and Vauxhall making over 60 mpg.
I believe there are a compact French diesel-electric SUV by Peugeot and similar sub-compact car by VW but they are a niche vehicles and never had any decent sales. I’m not sure if both are still being built.