Hybrid Tractors

Mack has had hybrids on the road here in the US since 2009...NYC had the first, a garbage truck.

http://m.truckinginfo.com/news/166759/mack-hybrid-refuse-truck-goes-to-the-big-apple

 

Did you guys know that *only a few* diesel engines were made that weren't hybrids? Since steam engines went away, nearly every single diesel locomotive has been a diesel/electric hybrid. And they can pull immense loads for long distances. Much more cost effective then pure diesel engines. A diesel turbine engine was even attempted once and immediately cancelled. Efficient diesel/electric technology has been around for decades. So why couldn't it be used in a cab for more efficient hauling?

If you want to get into conspiracy theory territory. You could look at the profit losses that would happen to big oil if hybrids became moe popular and more wildly used. Guess who 'donates' to politicians to help get them to pass laws in their favor?

 

I wonder if battery weight is a concern. Though it seems trivial with all of the advantages of the diesel/electric hybrid setup working its way into trucking from locomotives; it seems like a no brainer. Instant torque from the electric motor, an engine that runs at optimal RPM at all times which reduces wear from accelerating and decelerating and improves fuel economy, plus the ability to recoup energy going down hills with regenerative braking. It's actually kind of amazing that it didn't happen as soon the railroads provided proof of concept.

 

Weight is the problem. We need to replace the roads with plastic.

 

I wonder how much cheaper per mile CNG is versus diesel.

 

Diesel locomotive is not a hybrid. It is not a hybrid of electric and diesel propulsion. It is a diesel generator with electric drivetrain. The train will not drive on electricity. The electric drivetrain is only used because engineering a mechanical drive train of sufficient strength to fit within the confines of locomotive is not possible. The electrical drivetrain is far more inefficient then the mechanical one of a truck. As such large quarry trucks that used to run a similar drivetrain as a locomotive are now being engineered to run with a mechanical drive train for fuel efficiency.

As far as conspiracy theory. 'Theory' is a poor term since it is less than even a postulate, and more of assumption.

 

Sysco in town has Freightliner M2 hybrid tractor. I know they had some mechanical issues with it but I never heard any complaints about it's on-road performance.

 

You are the engineer of a train traveling at 78 miles per hour. There are 35 cars that the train is pulling. The town you need to get to is 354 miles away, and it is raining and high winds persist at 56 mph. What is the train engineer's name?