"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 00:57:06 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Sat, 10 Nov 2007 20:14:36 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

Navistar is developing a very interesting diesel/electric hybrid lift
truck for utility companies. According to them, in tests, they are
achieving fuel reductions of 50/60% over normal lift truck operations.

It's only a matter of time until that gets to larger boats.

The strength of hybrids comes from good acceleration with a relatively
small engine. That does not compute for constant speed/constant power
applications like a boat.

I'm not at all sure about that.

I read somewhere recently that the new diesel/electric hybrid freight
train engines are so damn efficient it's scary. I think, and I can't
remember the exact figures (maybe somebody who can make Google sing
can find it please?), it was 480 tons for 30 miles on one gallon of
diesel.

Again, that's the way I remember it - it was on Discovery one evening
and I was half paying attention, but I think that's pretty close to
what they said.

And diesel/electric submarines are pretty damn efficient.

If the setup allows the diesel engine to run at a constant, optimum RPM,
regardless of vehicle speed (as diesels are really designed to do) there
will be a gain in efficiency.

Eisboch