Mercury is showing a new hybrid concept car which seems to be quite drool worthy. From the article: The diesel engine runs so cleanly that the Meta One qualifies as a partial zero-emissions vehicle, the strictest existing standard. The engine has a high-pressure common-rail fuel injection system, plus catalysts and filters. Its urea injection system helps cleanse the exhaust system of particulate emissions. The 2.7-liter diesel V6 is a modified version of the engine Ford builds with Peugeot in Europe for the Jaguar S-Type. The engine has two turbochargers and develops 248 hp. So it's a twin turbo diesel that develops 248 hp in it's non-hybrid form, who knows how much power it develops in this form, and should deliver 30% more economy than the freestyle (28mpg highway). To boot, it's a PZEV diesel. To this all you can say is, not too shabby at all. http://autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=101489
For an article about a new hybrid car, there seems to be very little in the way of explaining the hybrid system. This is the only thing I can find about the hybrid system: "The torque converter has been replaced with an electric motor that also acts as a starter and alternator. It can propel the vehicle by itself at low speeds." And the diesel engine is responsible for the PZEV rating? Are you sure it's not the fact that the car can run under battery power? The Prius is a PZEV yet is not a diesel. Sounds to me about the same as claiming that my hair is so blonde I qualify as German. While my hair is very blonde and I am of strict German decent, the two are not responsible for one-another. That diesel sentence is extremely misleading. Oh yeah, and wouldn't Zero-Emissions be an even stricter standard than Partial Zero-Emissions?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer\";p=\"61667)</div> Tony, Diesels are notoriously dirtier than regular gas engines. So having a Diesel hybrid that achieves PZEV is pretty big. And even Toyota's upcoming Highlander only achieves SULEV. And if you read deeper into the article, they did discuss how they modified the Diesel to achieve PZEV (urea injection). I would assume the hybrid system is very similar to the one in the escape hybrid. It's a very modular and portable system, and I wouldn't doubt it starts popping up in all sorts of other Ford concept cars.
I see your point -- getting a diesel hybrid where the diesel doesn't blow your PZEV rating out of the water is an accomplishment. (And from what some of the ultra-technical auto people on PriusChat have said in the past, getting a diesel hybrid system is a major challenge in and of itself.) One thing from the article: to get the low emissions ratings, the Meta One system injects "urea acid" into the system. Apparently, if the owner doesn't lets the urea acid in the car run dry, the car fails to meet emissions standards. Ummm... to my untrained ear, "urea acid" sounds a lot like... urine? (Of course, that could be a good thing. "Honey, the urea acid level is running low!" "No problem, just pull the entire car into the bushes...")
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jonnycat26\";p=\"61672)</div> Do you have to buy it or can you just pee into your engine? Link --> Definition
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bruceha_2000\";p=\"61675)</div> Do you have to buy it or can you just pee into your engine? Link --> Definition [/b][/quote] I guess their "injection" system is really simple (rubber hose). :mrgreen:
