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Are diesel electric hybrids possible?

vi edit

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
I'm pretty uninformed when it comes to the deep nitty gritty workings of the current hybrid engines. I don't know if there is some engineering preventing the development of diesel hybrids or if it was simply a numbers game due to diesels not being popular and the fact that they aren't as "green" because of increased pollution over gasoline engines.

But, diesel engines already put out incredible gas milage numbers for what they are one would think that combining them with an electric engine would only further improve on that.

To me, one of the best applications of it would be in small to midsize pickup trucks. I can't help but think a smash hit would be a a truck around the size of the current Tundra that pulls 30+ MPG and still gives you decent towing numbers for pulling the boat occasionally or small trailers. The low grunty nature of diesel would be perfectly suited for that type of purpose and the electric just improves on it.

Just a thought. With trucks being such a popular sales item, it seems like there is a definite market for something like that. Function of a truck, economy of a civic.

 
Yep - Link to thread I started about Hybrid Humvees that use diesel engines with electric engines.
 
There are a few city busses that use diesel-hybrid technology - I don't think they're in widespread use though, more of a proof of concept thing.

Busses put out the most pollution when they get going after a stop, so the electric motor handles that, allowing the diesel to take over for cruising.
 
Originally posted by: vi_edit
I'm pretty uninformed when it comes to the deep nitty gritty workings of the current hybrid engines. I don't know if there is some engineering preventing the development of diesel hybrids or if it was simply a numbers game due to diesels not being popular and the fact that they aren't as "green" because of increased pollution over gasoline engines.
Click to expand...

Yes, they can do that easily. I think they use gas mostly for convenience for the dumb end-losers who would cram the gasoline nozzle in there anyway.

Diesel would be more efficient. You could even optimise the diesel engine to have max efficiency at one power setting and have it just work as a generator, not changing rpm much as you need for a car engine that drives the wheels. That way it would be propelled purely off the electric motors and the diesel engine will only be a generator.
 
Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Originally posted by: vi_edit
I'm pretty uninformed when it comes to the deep nitty gritty workings of the current hybrid engines. I don't know if there is some engineering preventing the development of diesel hybrids or if it was simply a numbers game due to diesels not being popular and the fact that they aren't as "green" because of increased pollution over gasoline engines.
Click to expand...

Yes, they can do that easily. I think they use gas mostly for convenience for the dumb end-losers who would cram the gasoline nozzle in there anyway.

Diesel would be more efficient. You could even optimise the diesel engine to have max efficiency at one power setting and have it just work as a generator, not changing rpm much as you need for a car engine that drives the wheels. That way it would be propelled purely off the electric motors and the diesel engine will only be a generator.
Click to expand...

Isn't the issue the amount each type of engine pollutes?
 
Originally posted by: MadCowDisease

Isn't the issue the amount each type of engine pollutes?
Click to expand...

No, because there are already diesel cars sold in the US. While they do produce more particulates than gasoline engines, there's nothing preventing manufacturers from making more diesel cars.
 
you can mod a diesel engine to run on vegtaable oil, doesnt cost much, and you still get the same power and all that
 
Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
They've been doing it with trains for decades
Click to expand...

No, they weren't. It is just that the trains have one big diesel engine that is connected to one big electric generator. The current is used to drive the motor wheels on the train's engine.
On a locomotive there are no electric batteries worthy to speak of - our locomotives have a 125V battery that is used just to start the main diesel engine.
Why they did that? The big diesel engines of the railroad locomotives have a working range of RPM from 300 to 900 (or something like that). In the end, they would need a 40+ gears gearbox (or maybe more, I don't know). If you search, you'll find out that trucks have like 16 gears in their gearbox. While they can consider that such a gearbox is OK, the one on the trains seems to be just too big (remember, for trains you need a gearbox capable to resist to the max pull of the engine, which is close to the adherence of the wheels)
 
About pollution: diesel engines pollutes in the following ways:
1. unburned fuel
2. smoke (partially burned fuel) - these two polluting types can be reduced to almost nil using computer-controlled injection and catalisators.
The gasoline engines have those first two problems also
3. Due to the higher temperatures in the burning chamber, some nitrogen oxides are forming. Those NOx are pollution factors, and the only way you could eliminte them is to reduce the temperature in the burning chambers.
Considering the efficiency of a engine is better when the temperature in its burning chamber is bigger, no one wants to reduce the burning temperature. Also, reducing burning temperature is akin to having a lesser burning of the fuel, increasing the 1 and 2 pollution types.
 
And three - the great fuel efficiency of the trucks is a result of the very low power/weight ratio. You'll never sell pickups in the US that have that power to weight ratio. Imagine that a truck that must carry 25 tons of load is having like 400 horse power, or 10 horse power per ton. And older trucks have even less power per ton - some 19 ton trucks made in Romania had an engine of just 215 horse power - this is for a total weight of more than 30 tons

EDIT: trucks built in Romania using a license from MAN
 
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