The Golf TDI has hybrid and electric motor that operates either with the diesel engine or separately. The Golf TDI hybrid uses a 3 cylinder common rail diesel engine with a displacement of only 1.2-liters. It produces 74-hp and 132 lb-ft (178.76 Nm) of torque. The Golf TDI electric motor is able to produce 27-hp and 103 lb-ft (139.49 Nm) of torque.
According to Volkswagen, the electric motor offers enough power to get the vehicle moving from a standing start. The diesel hybrid engine will only engage at higher speeds or extra acceleration (if required), as soon as the vehicle is in motion. Beside that, in order to improve fuel economy, the Golf TDI also rides lower than the standard Golf on an improved suspension and makes use of a unique front bumper to reduce drag.
Diesel hybrid concept: the Volkswagen Golf TDI
However, reports indicate that while Volkswagen is planning to produce a diesel hybrid, it won’t likely be this one. Citing the high cost of building a Diesel Hybrid as a factor, the company is anticipated to be going with a turbo—supercharged gasoline hybrid instead.
When it comes to high-end luxury sedans, you can not do much better than a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The top-of-the-line four-door Mercedes offers massive amounts of comfort, gadgetry, performance, and style – just about the whole thing except fuel economy. The 2009 Mercedes S-600 model only achieves 11 mpg (4.7 km/l) in the city and 17 mpg (7.2 km/l) on the highway.
But the company showed off a concept S-Class Diesel Hybrid that can deliver more than 40 mpg (17 km/l) at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2007. The Mercedes-Benz S300 BlueTEC Hybrid concept has a 2.2-liter diesel engine that drives the wheels most of the time, along with an electric motor to assist with acceleration. Overall, it produces about 224-hp and a whopping 413 lb-ft (559.32 Nm) of torque – numbers that are comparable to a powerful V8 engine.
The S300 BlueTEC Hybrid concept also uses Mercedes’ version of the AdBlue urea injection system, which allows the vehicle to meet the strictest of emissions standards. This is another potential 50-state diesel-powered car.
Many companies compete to improve better innovation to create more unique Diesel Hybrid concepts. At the Paris Show in 2006, Citroen, French automaker showed off its C-Métisse diesel hybrid concept car. The fire-engine red concept car was a low-slung four door coupe with swooping lines and huge wheel arches.
Better yet, the C-Métisse Diesel Hybrid very unusual setup – a 2.7-liter diesel V6 in the front of the car drives the front wheels, while two electric motors drive the rear wheels. According to Citroen, the V6 puts out about 208-hp and the two rear motors deliver about 295 lb-ft (399.51 Nm) of torque each. That’s enough to drive the vehicle from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in about 6.2 seconds.
The car achieves about 45 mpg (19.1 km/l) with this setup. It can also run up to 20 mph (32.2 km/h) on electric power alone, where it operates in “Zero Emission Vehicle” mode. Citroën says the concept is very environmentally friendly, and is equipped with particulate control systems.
With their excellent performance, great fuel economy, and proven durability, why wouldn’t automakers produce Diesel Hybrid vehicles? Substantially higher initial cost may be the biggest factor, but as fuel prices climb, a Diesel Hybrid just may be in our future.
Another articles by Johan Young you may interest in reading: Saturn Vue Hybrid, Carbon Emissions, Green Cars Information, and Hybrid Car Performance.
Adopt from: Patrick E. George, Read the full story.
