• Maggoty@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    A second engine costs more, weighs more, needs more support, and makes everything harder to repair.

    Basically, internal combustion to the wheels is cheaper for the car builders and good enough.

    • Death_Equity@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Diesel electric, not diesel hybrid.

      Diesel generates power that charges the batteries. It would be more expensive than a normal ice car, but it would have thousands of miles of range and get 8-10x the range per gallon.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        Afaik the only difference at the general level is whether the IC engine connects directly to the wheels or not. A hybrid can run on either engine. A diesel electric uses an IC engine to create electricity for an electric engine. So you still need at least two engines, it’s just wildly more efficient. And quite a bit more expensive to produce.