From: spike66 (spike66@attbi.com)
Date: Thu Feb 06 2003 - 18:17:53 MST
Alfio Puglisi wrote:
> On Wed, 5 Feb 2003, spike66 wrote:
>>
>>The Diesel is excellent for *performance as a function
>>of fuel use*.
>
> Every teenager here dreams about the Seat Leon (that's a VW sub-brand).
> It's powered by a 1.9L turbocharged Diesel engine with 150 hp, and still
> manages 53 MPG at freeway speeds, and 30-35 in urban streets.
>
> Ciao,
> Alfio
The turboDiesel has a promising future, but it has
never been a very practical roadcar option because
it has a funny shaped torque/RPM curve. Diesels are
extremely peaky engines. A gasoline motor has a lot
flatter and broader torque curve. We say a Diesel
has 150 hp, but only when spinning at exactly 6820 RPM,
which is faster than one ordinarily spins an engine
on the street. The Diesel rabbits actually had fairly
good peak horsepower, but they felt gutless when off
the cam, which is approximately always.
If we had about a 700cc 25 kw (~35hp) turboDiesel
in a true series hybrid, we would have a very practical
economy car, acceleration almost so-so, capable of
120 kph indefinitely and would get twice the mileage
of current subcompacts.
In 30 years, I expect racer-boy fun cars will burn
alcohol in a traditional internal-combustion-only
arrangement, with the other 80% of the proletariat
driving series hybrids with a boosted Diesel IC. spike
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