Re:VW Scandal Will Speed Up Diesel's Demise
by mywittyname on Monday October 05, 2015 @06:31PM
(#10335486)
If diesel hybrids were superior to gasoline hybrids, they would already be a thing.
As it stands, diesel engines are fairly incompatible with hybrid technology. The primary driver for fuel economy improvement with a hybrid is the ability to turn the engine off for periods of time. Diesel engines do not handle start-stop very well, as they are much more temperature sensitive. Other optimizations, such as Akinson cycle engines, also cannot be applied to diesel engines with any benefit.
Diesel fuel economy shines the most on the the highway. But highway fuel economy for a Prius is already quite good. It's unlikely that you would find a diesel hatchback of its size that returns better highway economy from the same amount of HP.
There's really nothing to be gained from a diesel hybrid.
As it stands, diesel engines are fairly incompatible with hybrid technology. The primary driver for fuel economy improvement with a hybrid is the ability to turn the engine off for periods of time. Diesel engines do not handle start-stop very well, as they are much more temperature sensitive. Other optimizations, such as Akinson cycle engines, also cannot be applied to diesel engines with any benefit.
Diesel fuel economy shines the most on the the highway. But highway fuel economy for a Prius is already quite good. It's unlikely that you would find a diesel hatchback of its size that returns better highway economy from the same amount of HP.
There's really nothing to be gained from a diesel hybrid.