New Study Says Hybrid Technology Only Makes Sense in OffRoaders!

From Car Magazine in the UK:

The chairman of Bosch's automotive group - the world's biggest supplier to the car industry - today crushed any hope that hybrids could become a major tool to cut CO2 emissions in Europe.
Dr Bernd Bohr told CAR Online that even by 2015, fewer than 5 percent of all new cars sold in Europe will be hybrids. 'We are talking tens of thousands per manufacturer, not hundreds of thousands,' he said. 'Hybrid technology does not make sense unless you are driving in city traffic.'

Dr Bernd Bohr told CAR Online that even by 2015, fewer than 5 percent of all new cars sold in Europe will be hybrids. 'We are talking tens of thousands per manufacturer, not hundreds of thousands,' he said. 'Hybrid technology does not make sense unless you are driving in city traffic.'

His attack proves that hybrids will remain a bit part player in a European market of 17 million cars a year; Bohr said that many manufacturers were currently in the early stages of developing hybrid know-how, but very few had actually committed. Bosch currently employs just 200 engineers on the technology - largely to learn more about battery tech.

But he admitted hybrids would play a small role in bringing carbon emissions down - especially in big, heavy premium cars and SUVs. 'They make sense for these customers, who want a big expensive car but don't want to be seen to be excessive,' added Bohr. Bosch today confirmed it was working with VW, Audi and Porsche to bring a petrol-electric off-roader to market by 2008 - the jointly developed Touareg, Q7 and Cayenne.
continued at:
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/news.php?sid=776&page=1  

Interesting...I wonder why he'd say hybrids don't make sense unless your are in city traffic.

Hybrids don't suffer from a limited range the way the early all-electric cars did. Hybrids accelerate well from a dead stop.

The main downfall I see with hybrid technology is that it takes a lot of lead to build all the batteries that hybrids require.  

I think what he means by 'Hybrid technology does not make sense unless you are driving in city traffic.' is that in city driving there is a lot of Stop & Go which is where most cars waste gas and ended up polluting unnecessarily.  Some cars are already coming with 'Start/Stop' technology which makes this less of an issue.

Unlike the US, the UK has a lot more diesel options available.  Many of the sub 2.0L diesels are smaller then a Prius and get as good or better mileage.  Even a big diesel Jag or Beemer is able to pull off some amazing mileage.  So going with a hybrid isn't as great.  

That clarification makes more sense.

The infrastructure for diesel isn't as good in the U.S. either. In rural areas it seems every gas station has diesel, but in So. Cal. that's not the case. You really have to plan ahead around fuel stops, and if you're in unfamiliar territory it's best to top off the tank sooner rather than later.

I'd much rather see diesel technology pursued than gas/electric hybrids.

Considering how clean modern diesels can run, it only makes sense, especially when you consider the torque and fuel economy diesel engines are capable of.  

Diesels in the US get a bad rap and there is no way around it.  CA seems to be really anti-diesel.  They started to do retroactive emission tests for light and medium trucks this year but include all truck, 2003 and newer.  (I've heard of a lot of people failing because of mods.)  They have also cracked down on heavy trucks as well.  They are forcing the trucking industry to upgrade all of their trucks to the new standard.  By 2014, if your truck is older then 2010, you have to replace it's engine or get a new truck.  Supposedly 2008 models have an auto-shutdown if the engine is idled for more then 5 minutes as well.

I don't see the light car and truck market to increase much.  It seems only the 'biodiesel' crowd really knows about diesels.  It will be interesting if Fiat will bring diesels to the US but they will have to spend a lot to get good PR going.  BMW already has the 335D but it's still a rare sight on the roads. VW has the new 2.0L turbo diesel in the Golf, Jetta and a 3.0L TDI in the Touareg.  I think that's it for diesels in light cars and trucks in the US other then 3/4 and 1 ton trucks.

Also, I read that the 2011 GM's will start using urea to keep emissions down.  GM calls it Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF).  It's basically the same as Mercedes BlueTec/Adblue.  I'm not sure about GM's but the Mercs are said to not start if the urea is empty.  It costs something like $200/10000 miles, not including labor, so you're probably over $300 with labor.