London Banter - View Single Post - petrol/electric hybrid vans

Recliner[_2_] · May 22nd 12, 09:34 AM posted to uk.transport.london

On Tue, 22 May 2012 00:07:07 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Hybrid technology based on a diesel engine is available - the Peugeot/Citroen gruop recently launched this. It's available in cars such as the Citroen DS5 or Peugeot 3008. (Though the roads tests I've seen suggest the automated gearbox is dreadfully jerky - no doubt that can be improved).

I don't think it's a "no brainer" for vans. A few thoughts.
(1) The diesel hybrid power-train is more expensive than a plain diesel engine. Most commercial vehicles are bought down to cost - the buyers won't stand the additional purchase cost.
(2) Fleet managers are oonservative and slow to adapt to new technology. Their vehicles do huge mileages - but as this diesel hybrid powertrain is so new, there is no "real world" reliability data
(3) The battery pack adds weight - which reduces the available payload of the van. My hunch is that this will be the most difficult hurdle to overcome.

That's all true, and I might add that the limited life of the battery
pack may also be an issue. They're expensive to replace, and won't
last as long as the rest of the power train.