If a Diesel already gets 40 to 50 mpg why bother with the expense and complexity of batteries and electric motors? All that stuff necessary to make a car a hybrid adds thousands to the cost (and the cost of environmental cleanup) during the life cycle of the car. In fact, you will never achieve payback over the lifetime of your electric hybrid.
> If a Diesel already gets 40 to 50 mpg why bother with the expense and complexity of batteries and electric motors? All that stuff necessary to make a car a hybrid adds thousands to the cost (and the cost of environmental cleanup) during the life cycle of the car. In fact, you will never achieve payback over the lifetime of your electric hybrid. <
Then it looks to me as if the matter hinges primarily on the cost/efficiency of batteries. If the costs of batteries decline enough, or if their efficiencies increase enough, or both, then the diesel hybrid well might become a very attractive option. But as things stand today, I understand and accept your analysis.