pebble (b/acc) on Nostr: Small diesel hybrids are problematic for engineering reasons. Gas Atkinson cycle ...

Small diesel hybrids are problematic for engineering reasons.

Gas Atkinson cycle engine has low power & torque at low rpm and high power at high rpm. The electric motor perfectly compensates for this, leading to good efficiency.

Diesel motors have high starting power and torque at low RPM and are less efficient at high speeds. The engine must be run at high speeds if continuously loaded. Diesels are used for stopping and starting capabilities in heavy vehicles.

TL;DR: It's complicated.

I think rail could be electrified but it already is something like 7-8x efficient over road trucking. Gov needs to stop subsiding inefficient forms of transportation.