Why are all modern hybrid and plug in hybrid cars paired with gas engines rather than diesel engines? The diesel and hybrid pair seem like a great idea in theory.

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A lot of people see hybrids and plug in hybrids as a great middle ground between ICE and EV, so why not make a diesel hybrid. They can be used in a variety of vehicles, and can reduce the nox and particulate emissions diesels are known for. So why isn’t there a modern diesel hybrid being produced, at least as a passenger car?

In: Engineering

17 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Here’s another perspective, beyond the engineering limitations:

The half gas half EV cars are a dud product. They are specious and deceptively alluring to someone hesitant about EV but in reality EV ownership is not difficult. EVs really are the future based on how superior and more convenient they are.

It reminds me of the tentative nervousness around ditching physical keyboards on touchscreen phones, when the end result after taking the plunge into full touchscreen-no-keyboard it’s really not that bad.

Thought:

– I’ll charge my car for 50km/miles as I needed it! Plug it in to my home!

– Reality: If you are committing to finding a plug for it, why not just plug it in once a week and get 500km rather than a tiny bit every day? It’s less plugging and more duration.

Thought:

– If I run out of EV battery, I’ll be in trouble!

– Reality: When you have 500km on your tank, you realize you need to drive for a 10-20 hours (and not return home) before you might run out of juice. The reality is the EV is at 100% full much more often than a gas car (practically always at 100% when you wake up). Pretend a personal attendant comes to your home and fills your gas. That’s the state of your battery usually.

Thought:

– My road trip will be 20 minutes faster since gas is faster than charging

– Your road trip will be 20 minutes faster since you leave home at 100% and don’t need to gas it right away

– I will admit on a very very long haul where you rarely stop for lunch/stretch legs, the EV is worse, since you’ll need to charge twice a day meaning it’s 40 minutes more, which is meaningful

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