Re:Winter chills limit range of the Tesla Model S electric car
by ars on Sunday February 17, 2013 @03:27AM
(#5234600)
Diesel's do not really get better mileage once you consider that diesel fuel has more energy per gallon. Diesel is a little better, but not dramatically so.
And diesel IS dirty. It's really hard to make one that meets emission standards.
And that is the main reason it's not used more often in the US: It's basically impossible to make it clean enough.
Re:Winter chills limit range of the Tesla Model S electric car
by tokenadult on Sunday February 17, 2013 @08:45AM
(#5235160)
Diesel-electric vehicles (running the diesel engine all the time to run generators, which in turn run electric motors) have been the standard set-up on railroad locomotives in many parts of the world since before we were born. They are rather big and bulky for automobiles, and that's why they haven't been used much for individual automobile designs.
Re:Winter chills limit range of the Tesla Model S electric car
by gordon_syme on Sunday February 17, 2013 @03:45AM
(#5234620)
Citroen produce the DS5 Hybrid 4[1] which is a diesel-electric hybrid. I presume it's just not available in the US.
[1]http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results/First-dri...
Re:Winter chills limit range of the Tesla Model S electric car
by stox on Sunday February 17, 2013 @03:25AM
(#5234593)
What I would like to see is a Turbine/electric hybrid. It would answer most of the issues with running a turbine, and be able to burn a very wide range of fuels.
Re:Winter chills limit range of the Tesla Model S electric car
by lutusp on Sunday February 17, 2013 @03:54AM
(#5234636)
> What I would like to see is a Turbine/electric hybrid. It would answer most of the issues with running a turbine, and be able to burn a very wide range of fuels.
One reason this hasn't happened is that the goal is a fuel- and energy-efficient car, and turbines aren't very fuel efficient compared to piston engines, a popular misconception to the contrary.
Along these same lines, diesel cars aren't popular in America even though they get better mileage with less-refined fuel. I'm confident that if US auto mfgs wanted to, they could throw enough money at changing the perception of diesel as "dirty" in America to really help diesel take off. Why are we ignoring this perfectly viable, proven, reliable, and ancient technology in favor of battery packs which create tons of hazardous waste to produce and dispose of?!