Diesels more popular than hybrids? Maybe, Maybe Not
It looks like another case of tell me which side of the argument you're on and I'll give you the statistics to prove you're right. A few weeks ago we reported on a survey by J.D. Power and Associates that indicated that interest in hybrids was beginning to wane in favor of diesels. While potential car buyers may have increasing motivation towards oil-burners aside from heavy duty trucks, there aren't a lot of these vehicles available to US buyers at the moment. With a flurry of new hybrid models coming later this year including the Chevy Malibu and Tahoe, the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan and others, Power is now saying 2007 will be a record year for hybrid sales. This should come as a surprise to no one as gas prices across most of the country remain at or above $3 a gallon. While the numbers were down more than half of respondents still wanted a hybrid. That's all part of why they are predicting that hybrid sales will increase thirty-five percent this year to 345,000 units. As more diesels become available in 2008, things may change, but sales will probably still continue to climb.
[Source: J.D. Power and Associates]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kerry Moore 11:06AM (8/03/2007)
the obvious soluation for many people who commute long distances to work in large cities is a car with a diesel hybrid power train, i am shore
it could be done even with todays technologys. i think automakers know
this but are saveing it for the next round of devolment, after all every one
hopes for something better each time they buy a new car.
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Dominique Cormann 1:31PM (8/03/2007)
Diesel hybrids have been tried by most manufacturers. The thing people don't realize is that Diesels are very efficient in part because the fuel to air ratio is very big compared with gasoline engines. So at idle they use almost no fuel. Add the weight of the electric motors would not make much of an improvement over the diesel engine. This is why VW for example who has been testing diesel hybrids even during the 80's, never brought one to market. They even had commercial test fleets running around in Europe.
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Karkus 2:37PM (8/03/2007)
Diesel hybrids are happening. Lots of US cities already have some diesel hybrid buses, and Peugot will introduce a 308 diesel hybrid soon (maybe next year?).
Bottom line. Everything is moving to hybrids (and eventually EVs). You can do all the silly surveys you want and you can have endless diesel vs. hybrid discussions (which don't make sense - it's diesel vs. gasoline), and you can complain about "added complexity" - it won't change the fact that you'll most likely drive a hybrid in 10 years.
And I'm not saying everyone will buy a Prius - hybrids are a broad term. Basically, no matter what car you come up with (diesel, gas, hydrogen, plug-in, fuel cell, etc.) it just doesn't make sense to idle when the car is stopped, nor to convert all the braking energy to heat. Hybrids recover that wasted energy and store it (battery, capacitor, flywheel, compressed air, etc) and allow you to reuse it. It just makes too much sense not to do it.
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Bill 10:11PM (8/03/2007)
Parallel diesel hybrids or series diesel hybrids?
I'm hoping to see some diesel options for series hybrids.
>Diesel hybrids have been tried by most manufacturers.
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