Sweet! BMW 318 TD makes 60mpg

[Jimmypoo]

[quote Pat]There are also ant-gelling additives...
btw--Pat, where can I get ant-gelling additives? The place in Georgia is LOADED with Fire Ants, and that might help!

[Pat]

[quote Jimmypoo][quote Pat]There are also ant-gelling additives...
btw--Pat, where can I get ant-gelling additives? The place in Georgia is LOADED with Fire Ants, and that might help!
For me, I just use sugar after they've been blended and strained. Set up real nice in a jar on the shelf after an hour or two. ;-P

[macone]

[quote davester]Before you "diesel is better than hybrid" folks go to far, you should probably know that this car IS a diesel-electric hybrid, with regenerative braking and battery pack similar to the Prius, NOT just a diesel vehicle. That said, I would gladly trade in my BMW convertible for a BMW hybrid convertible (if somebody lends me the cash!).
This car is not a Diesel-Electric Hybrid. The power to move the car only comes from the diesel engine. The regenerative braking is used to lessen the load of the alternator on the engine. They use this energy to charge the battery. The management system trys to operate as much of the electrical system directly from the battery. BMW's theory is to improve efficiency by removing all the auxiliary drive components from the engine such as the water pump and power steering pump and have them operate electrically. I am not sure if the electric water pump made it into production. BMW claims this could improve efficiency up to 10%.They use a non standard battery to cope with the higher charge/discharge cycles.

BMW has stated they will not produce a Hybrid until the overall cost of ownership is significantly less than a diesel. This could just be a swipe at Toyota (Lexus).

[davester]

Oops, you're right. I linked from that motor authority article into a different BMW site about possible future hybrids using electric boost to give higher engine torque. The 318d is indeed a different kind of hybrid. The battery is oversized to cover all the additional electric accessories and only charges on deceleration using braking energy.