Re: Would you keep your motor vehicle....

Athol <athol_SPIT_SPAM@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>James <dotatdot@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

>> What about a diesel hybrid?

>Only diesel, LPG or perhaps CNG hybrids make sense.  CNG is a bit
>iffy because of availability.  The one fuel that makes no sense
>whatever for a hybrid is petrol.  Do any commercially available
>hybrids *not* run petrol?

Not yet in Australia. VW has some "soft hybrids" in the pipeline,
which *may* be using 42V electrics and integrated
starter/motor/generator for a limited hybrid capability.  (The
alternative is 12V with a belt-drive motor/alternator.)

Engines are diesel. The hybrids don't compare well with the "Blue
Motion" diesel cars though in terms of fuel consumption. The hybrids
provide about the same reduction in fuel consumption as the BM
lightening, higher gearing and streamlining of vehicles; at a
greater cost and complexity.

There's not actually much point in a hybrid drive for a diesel.
Well, not as much as for a spark-ignition engine. A modern diesel's
specific fuel consumption is fairly consistently good for a wide
range of loads and engine speed. Idle is the only operational phase
where it actually benefits significantly from hybrid. It still has
to warm up for a hybrid drive, so not much point there.

Hybrid commercial vehicles, especially those in heavy start-stop
cycles could benefit. A proper diesel-electric with some batteries
to boost for acceleration wouldn't go astray.

But people want hybrid cars, so VW/Audi and even ****sche are willing
to lighten the wallets of customers as eagerly as Toyota and Honda.
Audi produced and sold a hybrid drive wagon (Duo) about a decade
ago; FWD petrol and RWD electric. Didn't get too many standing up
and saluting. Not even Al Gore. :-)
-- 
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