Will Diesel Hybrid Vehicles Be the New High Mileage Green Car?

Peugeot will be the first manufacturer to sell a small family car with a diesel-electric hybrid power unit. It will be a version of the new 308 model and will be on sale before the end of the decade. Peugeot doesn’t sell in the United States, but it has seen hybrids like the Prius sold in Europe and elsewhere. Toyota has sold some 5,000 Prius cars in the UK and more than 22,000 Prius cars in Europe. Peugeot’s diesel hybrid is projected to average more than 70 mpg. It will have the lowest carbon dioxide emissions of any car except a pure electric car. Peugeot has so far refused to quote a price stating that they are working to bring the cost down.

Meanwhile, in Japan, Toyota bought a 5.9 stake in Isuzu. Taking advantage of Isuzu’s expertise in diesel engines, Toyota plans to combine its Synergy hybrid powertrain with a diesel engine. A Toyota subcompact with this system is reported to be available in 2010. In the US, you may have seen a diesel hybrid-electric vehicle and not realised. City transit buses, military land vehicles, garbage trucks, delivery trucks, etc. they have been using diesel hybrids for years.

Since diesel engines perform optimally at a constant speed in highway driving, trucks are ideally suited for diesel engines. Therefore, the combination of the diesel engine with an electric drive system is of great benefit for the heavy-duty trucks that also have to drive through the city streets with their stop-and-go traffic. Other manufacturers, in addition to Toyota and Peugeot, are also working on developing their own hybrid diesel vehicles. They include Citroen, Ford, Opel and Volkswagen. Until 2007, most diesel fuel sold in the US was of the high-sulfur variety that will begin to be phased out by law in 2010. Now, cleaner diesel fuel is becoming available across the country. This, in turn, is motivating the aforementioned manufacturers to develop hybrid-electric diesel vehicles.

This new diesel fuel is an Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) fuel with a sulfur content of less than 15 parts per million. By 2010, more than 53 new trucks will be needed to match the emissions of a 1988 truck. With clean diesel fuel production increasing, most analysts predict that diesel sales will account for more than 10 percent of sales. US vehicle sales for 2015. Also, since diesel fuel is less flammable and explosive than gasoline, approximately 60 percent of school buses are diesel-powered.

Additionally, diesel vehicles typically get 20 to 40 percent more miles per gallon than gasoline vehicles. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the United States could save up to 1.4 million barrels of oil per day if a third of American vehicles ran on diesel. This is the amount of oil that is currently imported from Saudi Arabia. These figures are for pure diesel vehicles. A hybrid-electric diesel vehicle would save even more on oil.

Finally, diesel drivers have the option of fueling their vehicles with biodiesel blends. This is a domestically produced fuel that further reduces dependence on American oil. By opting for a diesel-hybrid-electric vehicle, American can save money at the pump without sacrificing the power and performance drivers expect and trust.