3 things
1. I'll believe oil alternatives in America when I'm driving it. Too much oil money in our govt. to allow this unless we do it ourselves ( bio diesel).
2. Are more electronics really what a rover needs (ngarover you should agree with me there)
3. How many of us will be able to afford these hybrids, I know I won't.

 

first off I am not at all for hybrids, the extra cost of buying one takes years to break even in gas savings. im talking a full electric with a small gas engine to charge the batteries. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006...ybrid_mini.php kinda what I'm talking about minus the wheel motors, just one big motor strait to the transfer case.

 

Take a look at CNG prices and convinence if fill up, then take a look at how stable those prices have been, then try to guess how they will fluctuate in the future. Then decide if it's worth it. That's what I would do. I just haven't looked at it in a long time so I can't give you that info. Conversions are moderately easy to install. Those Brit kits someone listed earlier should come with everything you need including instructions if they are the same ones I looked at awhile back (I didn't follow the links so I can't say for sure).

 

LPG and CNG will get you lower MPG because they have less power than gasoline.
However it is cheaper than gas. (or used to be)
The only real way to convert to LPG would be a dual conversion, you have dual fuel tanks, one LPG and one petrol.
Run on LPG while in town where you can fill up, go on a trip and switch back to petrol with the flick of a switch on the dash.
Run out of LPG, flick a switch and away you go.
Think propane forklift (and propane accessories)
In the UK diesel is almost $10 per gal, petrol is more than that but LPG (propane) is $2-3 per gallon.
BUT if you buy a petrol engined car you pay a higher tax on that car, then you have to pay for the conversion to run LPG.
Ever wonder why everyone in Europe drives small diesel cars? Because thats all they can afford to buy and drive.

 

tweakrover I know exactly what your talking about. If they're are two different power sources then its considered a hybrid. You should really look at the info on the Karma. Its considered a " plug in hybrid". Because you can charge the battery for about 2 bucks worth of your electric bill overnight in your garage. Cool part is at speeds less than 50mph and with travel less than 30 miles a day ( more than the average american drives a day) that car needs to be charged 2/3 times a week. But go out of town on a saturday and exceed the 50mph governer and the Cobalt ss motor kicks in and reserves the electric motor until you slow down again. It also kicks in if you run out of "juice". Best part is electric motors are more reliable than diesels and require 10 percent of the maintenance a gas/diesel does. Essentially the average american would need an oil change once a year in that Karma and you'd hit the gas station probably once a month if you don't travel long distance. On top of that you'd probably take 10 years to put a 100,000 miles on the gas engine.

Its an expensive car sure but fiskers plan was to make bad *** looking/affordable vehicles with this technology eventually.

 

Spike555

Ever wonder why vw makes diesel 4 door cars that get 50 mpg in Europe all day long but they aren't allowed to sell them here or they don't want too?

 

They want to sell them here, but there was no market for them.
With cheap gas everyone wanted the big car with lots of room.
Bigger is better mentality.

Remember the late '80's? With the VW Rabbit diesel? And the Olds 88 with the diesel? And the Volvo's with the diesels?
All were noisey underpowered dirty and slow.
Who wants a family car that sounds like a overworked Mack truck?

Now add to that that the EPA put strict emissions standards on light duty diesels, that made it totally un-profitable for the car companies to sell diesels not to mention that nobody wanted to buy them.
Diesels now have particulate filters in the exhaust to catch the soot, these filters need to be changed every 50,000 miles or so.
Pain in the butt for the owner but better for the environment.
Ultra low sulfur diesel was really bad for the injectors, kinda like running leaded gas in a unleaded car.
Now all diesels can run on ultra low sulfur diesel.

BMW, Mercedes, VW are all bringing diesels into the US now, as fuel prices soar and clean diesel technology gets better the cars are no longer "boring, noisey and dirty"

I'm sure you have seen this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2AdcX5dgE0

This will bring diesel to the fore front for America.

 

I apologize in advance, this will take some space.
The only Diesel engines that will give a mileage increase and fit without ruining the front suspension(ball joints,etc.) would be the euros like MB, BMW. The Cummins 4BT is a MONSTER. 850-900# depending on turbo/non, etc.
The 6.2L GM is in the same weight bracket.

Since I doubt that the axles would hold up to the weight of any american iron, let alone put up with the torque, I have not gone in search of the afore mentioned 300-340 Buick block to see if I could make it work. Repowering trucks is my passion, and I have done a few of these conversions. Just wish there was a good answer.

I am not trying to say I know it all, just trying to pass any information I have garnered. If someone figures out a way to do this without importing a few thousand dollars worth of adapters PM me.

 

And Spike is right about those old diesels. My first car was a German sped 1980 Golf with the 1.4L 43HP diesel. Mopeds were faster taking off and still got better economy. While that car documented 76.7 on several occasions, it was a handful in cool weather.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190406057920&rvr_id=21 0221606993&mfe=sidebar

I'm sure there's something like this available to you guys over there.

My uncle built his own, filled it with caustic soda and ran his 2ltr gas engine on it. the engine revved higher when running the hydrogen through, but the performance increase was very noticeable, and he saved tons on the price of gas, and at £6 per gallon its worth a try over here!!!!

Surely an addition like this is ideal, i dont really have the option as i run a TDi and it'd cost more to get it converted and remapped than a gas v8