If you couple a diesel to a generator, so it can constantly
run at it's most efficient RPM & throttle setting, then use
the electricity to drive the car, you basically have a
locomotive only with tires for road use. Adding tricks like
high-density permanent magnet motors (or the still-expesnive
cobalt motors) & advanced tech battery banks & regenerative
braking & solar panels & bulk/trickle chargers boosts the
efficienct higher yet, but basically it's still a
constant-load diesel with an electric transmission.


Shortwave Sportfishing wrote:
what he said.

Thanks Tom- while I was pontificating (stop me if you've
heard this before) I forgot to add a few details about why
it makes particular sense for cars right now.

The basic technology is the most efficent load-mover devised
and has origins before WW1. Battleships & trains have used
such plants, and as advances in diesel engine design (along
with metallurgy & casting) allow us to make diesel engines
that are both MUCH bigger and much smaller than were
practical just a few years ago.

AFAIK all big commercial ships, tankers & the like, have
big-ass diesel plants (direct drive, no reduction gear) now.
Small diesels have made similar... or even greater...
advances. Small diesel generators are almost magic!

It's possible that somebody will be able to make something
along the lines of a carbon fiber Wankel that will get more
muscle from a gallon of fuel, but I'm betting it will be a
fair bit of time from now, by which time fuel cells will
probably be the workaday power source.

DSK