Mar 10, 2009 -
Hybrid vs. Diesel
This is probably the most heated debate within the car industry right now and the pro-diesel folks always like to ask question "What's there to prevent diesels from becoming even more efficient than hybrids? "
So let me try to give you a 50,000-ft level answer...
Unless all diesels currently in the gas stations AROUND THE GLOBE are biodiesel I am assuming that the majority are still petroldiesel, which means they are derived from petroleum, which also means without oil, no diesel. So no matter how fuel efficient the diesel engines will become, without the fuel, the diesel engine wouldn't run. On the other hand for the hybrid, with the advancement of the battery technology in the foreseeable future it is VERY LIKELY that the electric motor will replace the gasoline engine as the primary source for hybrid cars unlike the other way around for today. Further more, it is also VERY LIKELY that one day we'll be driving a car that runs totally on battery power, meaning without a single drop of "petrol" as the Europeans like to call it. As matter of fact, the Tesla roadster is a great example of what the future could be and should be. Am I predicting the future? Yes and no, yes for the Lexus/Toyota hybrids are still far from it but no for well... look at Tesla.
Can diesel engine ever run without a single drop of fuel even if it gets you 100 mpg? We all know the answer of that...
