Diesel Electric!
Auto Express this week have an article about Mercedes not giving up on the Diesel they will be bringing out a "C" Class running on a standard 2L diesel paired to electric motors. First cars are due for delivery Nov 19 circa £32000 including goverment subsidies (rumoured to be reduced soon)
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This is not the first diesel hybrid by a long way. Volvo's previous generation V60 is/was available as a D/hybrid as was the Range Rover and various other cars. Not all were type approved for towing but the Volvo is. Mercedes Benz plan a number of D/hybrids and I hope they sell well so I can afford a used one in a few years time.....
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The motor industry is in turmoil. The next ten years will see more change than the previous 100. They don't know what to spend their engineering budget on developing.
The range extender hybrids are a really good option. The positives of electric around town and the fuel efficiency on longer runs with extended range. Diesel can be made very clean if you run them in their peak power/torque range. One option being considered by some manufacturers is an electric drive train with batteries and a diesel generator system, huge MPG, relatively clean, no in town emissions.
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One option being considered by some manufacturers is an electric drive train with batteries and a diesel generator system, huge MPG, relatively clean, no in town emissions.
That was the same(ish) set up as the Vauxhall Ampera ie wheels always driven by electrickery from batteries but had the ability to charge its own batteries with its onboard petrol engine.
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Know as Series or Parallel systems.
Series system drives the wheels through a motor only.
Parallel can drive them mechanically as well as stored battery power.
This diesel electric thing is not new, we were running buses at work with these systems back in 2010. Series systems at first on Alexander -Dennis chassis, then a while later Parallel system Volvo Chassis.
The pictures are both types of battery we had, The square one was the Volvo one and the other for the Dennis chassis, that picture is showing whats inside the big white case (about 1200 cells IIRC)
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We now have trains running in a similar manner. They were supposed to be all electric, but the government took the money for erecting the wires in Wales and West and did something else with it. So they have been fitted with diesel electric generator sets to go the extra mile (well actually, extra hundered miles!)
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The problem is legislation. The current popular Hybrids are mainly Mild Hybrid, that means they have a range on batteries 30 miles and then an underpowered petrol/diesel has to drag around a standard powertrain and a huge additional weight of the batteries and the motor. Not energy efficient but very good for dodging tax.
Proper hybrids are creeping in, Toyota seem to be offering the most progressive designs. The Merc does seem to be a bit of a innovative type but it is still basically a 2.0L Diesel with batteries. Very tax efficient but not really any more energy efficient.
Until there is a body to assess the efficiency of every new model and then declare that efficiency and tax it appropriately then the car makers will follow the poorly thought out legislation that slows progress.
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