VW Diesel Hybrid coming!!! 69.9 mpg
 

Wow!

I don't know about the stop/start technology though, how that would work.

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/02/vw-unveiling-an.html


Coming Soon from VW: A 69.9 MPG Diesel Hybrid
By Chuck Squatriglia February 28, 2008 | 10:04:10 AMCategories: Diesel, Geneva Motor Show, Hybrids

It would work just like the gas hybrids we have now except it'll have a diesel engine. Basically the engine will stop at traffic lights and get restarted by the electric motor when it's time to go again. It's a pretty seamless process on the gas hybrids. I'm glad someone has finally decided to introduce diesel-electric capability in a passenger car. I think it'll be great.

on the diesel, they may opt to just leave it running, at idle, there is almost no fuel consumed. of course, they could easily start it with that 80 or so HP electric motor hanging off the back... engine would only start when the car is moving above like 35 or so, kinda like tow starting with onboard motor... don't forget, the newer diesels with DI start MUCH quicker than our old IDI ones do... plus they don't usually need a glow. heat element in the air intake usually does it.
I think I asked a similar question last year when the diesel hybrids were discussed.

Very nice. Truly a step in the right direction. I'm not buying another car until it runs on electricity only, with an option for an onboard generator.

why electricity only? until environmentally sound power generation is a standard, and not a fringe source, having an electric car is a bad idea. except in areas where total hydro electric and solar/wind generation are main sources, coal and nuclear are gonna be heavily fuming up the earth. onboard generation is basically a hybrid... unless you are talking about the solar panels doing the work... perhaps hydrogen is the answer... I don't know how it's cracked out of water/air... possibly just as bad for the environment as gasoline/diesel... with all the deserts and flatlands for solar and wind generation, I don't see why we are still mainly generating our power with coal...

oh, and on the vw... 69 eh? do the seats fold down?...

Just a thought
 

I think nuclear may have the least environmental impact, even over solar and wind. The only fumes generated are ultrapure steam from all I know on the topic.

What about the spent fuel?:eek:

... um, there sure are a lot of trucks hauling stuff from the reactors near me...

Well at least they are hauling them away from you, not to you. Do all those spent rods still go to Nevada?

In the old reactors the rods would last for 2 to 2.5 years. I'm pretty sure that can be improved. Plus the amount of space that the spent rods take up when "disposed" of is very, very small. The only problem with it is that it should be guarded so that no one does anything stupid with it.

Most spent material is transported by rail, and exposure to areas nearby during transport isn't even noticeable. You might build up a few truckloads over several decades, especially if storage and plant efficiency are improved.

The truckloads of things that one may see going in and out of plants are likely the supplies to keep the generators maintained, water purification systems maintained, etc. The trucks that haul out the spent rods are very few compared with the trucks meeting the infrastructural needs of the plant.

Deep in an old mine that will take many centuries to be filled up, if ever. Keep in mind that we may very well find a use for the spent rods later, say like low level heating of a contained (isolated) water supply... I don't know. Surely we can use that stuff for something if we put our minds to it.

It could be another 5-7 years. What seems legit to us would be the upcoming Jetta hybrid starting at 21-23k. From the VW forums and other places the Golf hybrid diesel is nearly a myth that people put hype into. For all we know it may never see the U.S.

Please understand that I'm engaging in friendly discussion of this topic. My opinions are my own, and I'm not trying to convert people. I simply have a standard that I feel must be met, for me, not for everyone.

Efficiency.

Here's a post from one of the EV forums I frequent.

Admittedly, I am advantaged in that area, here in the High Desert of Southern California.

Right again, I want both solar panels and an onboard generator (although small). Present lack of a supportive infrastructure dictates that I must generate power somehow for extended range.


Unfortunately, without the solar/wind/geothermal power source to drive the hydrogen generation facilities, the energy efficiency of extracting hydrogen from water is very inefficient.

Because we still have the coal fired plants and don't have to build new ones plus we have a domestic coal supply. But, yes, it is still dirty.

Every person must make their own personal decisions; however, in the USA, the government is elected to make the best decisions for us all. The need to listen to the scientists and engineers more often.

Unfortunately the politicians are too..........

political!

We are building ethanol plants in areas where the political support for the current government is strong.

It is boosting the cost of corn and soy beans which is increasing the cost of our food drastically. Its payback time baybeeeeee!

I heard yesterday at lunch that soy beans are selling for $14 a bushel. I said...."wait they arent making ethanol from soy beans are they?....No they are planting more corn and less soy beans and that is driving up the price of soy beans!"

I am despaired to imagine that politicians will ever much (or very many of them) be influenced by science!

Tom W