The mileage benefit from gas hybrids is not that great either... The GMC Sierra hybrid only gets 2 MPG more than its regular counterpart (and the same mileage on the highway). The benefit there is emissions, which are 60% less.

Diesel engines run great in a constant RPM, constant load situation, which makes them a good candidate for hybrid drivetrains.

Which is why Dodge is releasing to its fleet market the Ram 3500 in a diesel hybrid, and the Sprinter in a diesel hybrid (available next year, drool). Incidentally, the Sprinter will have a 'plug-in hybrid' configuration as well, so it can be plugged in and driven on pure electric power around town, only using its engine when it needs to exceed that time or distance.

The author talks a lot about diesel hybrids not being effective, but then he just wanders off in a different direction and explores the interesting (but irrelevant, in this case) idea of a powerful MB gas hybrid. Great idea, but he still does not explore why a diesel engine would not make sense in such a configuration, with its already lower emissions and greater efficiency.

And of course, as you've all become accustomed to hearing me say, it ignores the biodiesel issue entirely (which in his France discussion is key, because of the French gov't's commitment to biodiesel).

I do appreciate the author's excitement about powerful hybrids. I've always been a proponent of the idea that having electric motor support to your drivetrain could make for fast powerful cars that are still more efficient than regular cars. The idea of the tiny, dangerous, slow, cardboard hippy-car as being the only path environmental friendliness can take is flawed, and this guy has some big ideas on how to make cars better in every way through a hybrid system. But his blatant tossing out of the diesel concept is a bit strange to me.

peace,
sam

__________________
"That f***in' biodiesel is makin' me hungry."

1982 300TD Astral Silver w/ 250k (BIO BNZ)
2001 Aprilia SR50 Corsa Red w/ 5.5k (>100 MPG)