"DSK" wrote in message
.. .
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


Makes sense now. Thanks, both Tom and DSK. Wanna start up a business
building diesel electric drives?

RCE