There's a list of hybrid-electric vehicles in production here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_electric_vehicle
The issue of scale is related to how large of a silencing box you can
put on that diesel and still have room for the intended use of the vessel.
It's true that the vast majority of hybrid-electric vehicles are
gas-electric (and not diesel-electric) due mainly to the noisiness and
stinkiness of diesels (which were originally designed by Rudolf Diesel
and used by Henry Ford to run on hemp seed oil, which in turn
contributed to the legislative ban of industrial hemp by the Duponts and
Hearsts, which in turn required Rudolf to formulate diesel fuel, but I
know you didn't ask that). In critical-grade applications, such as the
military, they use, for example, a 6.6L Duramax diesel and go into
"silent mode" using the batteries--something that couldn't be done
without the hybrid design, but would very likely still be intolerable to
a green yachtie (it would be to me anyway). There are also plenty of
quiet diesel generators available, but they are more expensive, of course.
There are good arguments to using diesel instead of gas onboard a vessel
though. As always, designing a boat is an exercise in compromise and
depends on the size and purpose of the vessel. There are a handful of
all-electric boats on the market now....
Robert
Austin, TX
Eric wrote:
>
> Sid,
>
> You're absolutely correct. Diesel-electric has been used for many
> decades and has proven to be more efficient than diesel alone. But
> there appears to be a problem of scale. Do you know of any specific
> examples of successful diesel-electric vehicles or vessels that weigh
> less than 100 tons?
>
> Fair winds,
> Eric
> Marina del Rey, CA
>
> --- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:electricboats%40yahoogroups.com>, "sirdarnell"
> <sirdarnell@...> wrote:
> >
> > I keep seeing this. The military has been using diesel generators
> with electric engines since the 1930s (maybe earlier) to get more
> range. So it must be work. Not to mention trains, cruise ships, Ice
> breakers, freighters, etc.
> >
> > --- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:electricboats%40yahoogroups.com>, Daniel Michaels <nov32394@>
> wrote:
> > >
> > > Unless you are going to supplement the generator with solar and
> wind or shore power I think you will get less range than by just using
> a diesel engine.
> > >
> > > Dan
>
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