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[haven]

Volvo plug-in diesel/electric hybrid

At the Geneva Auto Show this week, Volvo introduced its idea for a hybrid vehicle. The powertrain combines a 2.4L 5 cylinder diesel engine that drives the front wheels with an electric motor driving the rear wheels.

The powertrain has three modes of operation.

In pure electric mode, the electric motor battery pack has enough juice to propel the vehicle for about 30 miles. The diesel engine remains off. The battery pack is recharged by plugging into mains power. In Europe, where 220V is the electric standard, the battery recharges in 5 to 7 hours.

In hybrid mode, the diesel engine generates electricity to keep the battery pack charged up, but does not drive the wheels. Diesel fuel is used at a rate of 1.9L per 100 km driven (about 120 miles per US gallon of fuel), giving the vehicle a 750 mile range between fill-ups. (A quick calculation shows the fuel tank must hold only 6.2 gallons of fuel. Gotta make room for the battery pack somewhere.)

In power mode, the 2.4L diesel drives the front wheels with 325 ft-lbs of torque, and the electric motor contributes about 160 ft-lbs at the rear wheels (485 ft-lbs in total). Electronics monitor the engine output and road conditions so the vehicle drives like it has conventional all wheel drive.

Volvo plans to start to produce this plug-in electric/diesel hybrid in 2012. The first vehicle to receive the hybrid treatment is the V60 wagon. No announcement was made about the cost of the V60 hybrid.

Volvo doesn't import diesel powered cars to USA. For the present, Volvo has no plans to import the diesel/electric setup to USA.

Autoblog has a summary of Volvo's announcement, including a video and the full press release, here:
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/21/volvo-v60-plug-in-hybrid-detailed-ahead-of-geneva-debut/

 

[Storz]

Nice find!

According to the Chrysler press release, the engine is a VM Motori V6 diesel that uses Fiat's MultiJet II injection technology. The combination produces 406 pound-feet of torque.

The Grand Cherokee with this engine is rated at 28 miles per USA gallon in combined driving. That's a 17% improvement in mpg over the Mercedes diesel V6 installed in the Grand Cherokee in years past.

I just cannot fathom why we don't get vehicles like that here :drool:

 

[762X39]

I just cannot fathom why we don't get vehicles like that here :drool:

It's simple supply and demand...
We (Overlanders and other enlightened vehicle enthusiasts) only represent about 1/2 of 1% of the North American market. The rest of the market doesn't want diesel. Luckily (for me), Canada tends to get the good stuff sooner (or at all) then our poor friends south of us.

 

[Storz]

It's simple supply and demand...
We (Overlanders and other enlightened vehicle enthusiasts) only represent about 1/2 of 1% of the North American market. The rest of the market doesn't want diesel. Luckily (for me), Canada tends to get the good stuff sooner (or at all) then our poor friends south of us.

People love torque (hence all the V8s) diesel makes awesome torque, I honestly think if more people had the chance to drive a modern diesel they would love them.

Case in point is my father, when we bought our TDI I heard all the old diesel arguments, stinky, noises etc etc....long story short my mom is now driving an 2011 A3 TDI :wings:

 

[SSF556]

Nice find!

According to the Chrysler press release, the engine is a VM Motori V6 diesel that uses Fiat's MultiJet II injection technology. The combination produces 406 pound-feet of torque.

The Grand Cherokee with this engine is rated at 28 miles per USA gallon in combined driving. That's a 17% improvement in mpg over the Mercedes diesel V6 installed in the Grand Cherokee in years past.

That is exactly what I get in my 2010 ML350 Diesel...and the 2011 Jeep shares the same platform as the ML350.

 

[haven]

There's a disconnect between the standard mpg ratings by government agencies and what people report from their own experience, particularly for diesel powered vehicles. The 2010 ML350 Bluetec has a 21 mpg rating for combined driving, according to the EPA.

 

[SSF556]

There's a disconnect between the standard mpg ratings by government agencies and what people report from their own experience, particularly for diesel powered vehicles. The 2010 ML350 Bluetec has a 21 mpg rating for combined driving, according to the EPA.

Yea my number are a lot higher on the ML350...I have seen 30mpg on the highway....and I rarely see less than 21 or 22 in the city.

 

[haven]

Range-e hybrid shown

At the Geneva Auto Show, Range Rover showed its current (get it?) thinking about hybrid technology, applied to a full 4x4 package. The Range-e is a Range Rover Sport 4x4 with the ability to run on electric power alone. The system is a parallel hybrid, meaning the vehicle's diesel engine and electric motor both are used to drive the transmission.

In electric mode, the Range-e can travel about 20 miles without recharging. Not great, but most urban trips and many commutes in Europe are shorter than this.

For longer journeys, the Range-e has a 3.0L V6 diesel and 8 speed automatic transmission. The diesel engine provides motive power and keeps the battery of the electric motor charged. Fuel consumption is calculated to be about 70 miles per US gallon. Range for the vehicle in this mode is almost 700 miles.

The Range-e has the full Range Rover 4x4 running gear, with two speed transfer case and locking center differential.

 

[Kilroy]

I've felt this has got to be the most efficient way to used electric power for a long time. Exciting to see the possibilities:Wow1:

At the Geneva Auto Show, Range Rover showed its current (get it?) thinking about hybrid technology, applied to a full 4x4 package. The Range-e is a Range Rover Sport 4x4 with the ability to run on electric power alone. The system is a parallel hybrid, meaning the vehicle's diesel engine and electric motor both are used to drive the transmission.

In electric mode, the Range-e can travel about 20 miles without recharging. Not great, but most urban trips and many commutes in Europe are shorter than this.

For longer journeys, the Range-e has a 3.0L V6 diesel and 8 speed automatic transmission. The diesel engine provides motive power and keeps the battery of the electric motor charged. Fuel consumption is calculated to be about 70 miles per US gallon. Range for the vehicle in this mode is almost 700 miles.

The Range-e has the full Range Rover 4x4 running gear, with two speed transfer case and locking center differential.

 

[haven]

Tuner AC Schnitzer transplanted a BMW 2.0L four cylinder twin turbo diesel engine into the Z4 sports car. Result: A sports car that gets 60+ mpg, and still has a sub-7 second 0-60 time. The modern diesel also has lower C02 emissions than the 6 cylinder gas engine it replaces.

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/03/tuner-drops-diesel-into-bmw-z4-gets-63-mpg/

This is just a demonstration project, but it's a vehicle that BMW could easily build. The Z4 is built in the Spartanburg South Carolina plant that also builds BMW's X3 sport utility vehicles with the 2.0L turbodiesel. These X3s are all exported at present.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Very good article in the Times about Urea versus SGR and the long term for trucks and buses. good stuff:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/business/energy-environment/05truck.html?pagewanted=1&hpw

 

[haven]

Swedish heavy truck manufacturer Scania announced that they have developed a diesel engine that meets Euro 6 emissions standards. While the standards don't go into effect until the end of 2013, Scania will offer the new engine for sale immediately.

The Scania emissions control system uses exhaust gas recirculation, variable turbo boost, high pressure fuel injectors, and selective catalytic converters to control CO2. No doubt some fancy computer-controlled engine management is involved, too. No mention was made of urea injection.

The Euro 6 engine returns the same fuel mileage as the current Euro 5 engine, according to Scania. The price of the new engine was not included in the press release.

http://green.autoblog.com/2011/04/08/scania-unveils-13-0-liter-euro-6-compliant-diesel-engine/

 

[haven]

Pickuptrucks.com reports that Cummins is working on a new 4 cylinder diesel. The target vehicle is the Nissan Titan light duty pickup. Cummins predicts 28 mpg in the EPA combined rating, which would be a big improvement over the 15 mpg combined rating that the EPA gives the Titan V8 today. (For comparison, Ford's F150 V8 has a combined rating of 14 mpg, while a Chevy Silverado V8 has a combined rating of 17 mpg.)

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2011/0...ng-four-cylinder-diesel-for-nissan-titan.html

The new diesel displaces 2.8L, and produces about 350 ft-lbs of torque. It's an improved version of the 2.8L ISL engine that Cummins produces for markets outside USA.

I hope the new diesel option finds a home in other Nissan models that currently use the 5.6L gas V8. That would be the Pathfinder and the Armada SUV. If these SUVs generate increased sales through a diesel option, I can imagine that the Infiniti QX56 (aka Nissan Patrol) might appear with a diesel option.

The Nissan USA web site has a splash page with photos of the 8 sedans in its 2011 lineup that get 30 mpg highway. It would be cool if the 2013 Nissan Titan could be added to that list!

 

[haven]

Edmunds Auto Observer has a lengthy article that looks at the future for diesel engines in passenger cars in USA. Today, about 5% of autos sold here have a diesel engine. That's more than the percentage of hybrids. The manufacturers that sell diesel passenger cars are finding increased acceptance among the buying public. Diesel fuel is available at about half of all service stations. And a couple of manufacturers (Mazda, Jeep) are talking about adding a diesel model for North America.

However, diesel fuel continues to cost about 10% more than regular gas, the price of a diesel engine car is $2000 - $5000 more than a gas engine counterpart, and manufacturers are improving the power and fuel efficiency of gas engines. So it's not clear if diesel engines will expand their market presence or not.

http://www.autoobserver.com/2011/05/diesel-a-rising-tide-or-high-water-mark.html

 

[Redline]

Very interesting article Chip, really lays out the PROs & CONs as we move forward.
As stated, the power and efficiency of modern gas engines made it clear to me I should buy a gas-powered new truck, regardless of how big a diesel fan I am.

I thought diesel cars had some real momentum a few years ago when there was talk of Honda bringing a European diesel to the USA, but changing, strict emissions and fuel prices put the brakes on. The Germans are doing well, but I have doubts about the cost and complexity of new diesels as diesel emission laws continue to advance.

On thing is for sure, when it comes to driving long distances, up hills and at altitude, there are few that would not prefer to pilot a turbocharged diesel car than a naturally aspirated hybrid.