Level 5: The "special position" of the range extender weakens the advantage of diesel fuel

The most crucial point has arrived! The "working nature" of the range extender in hybrid vehicles actually invisibly weakens the absolute advantage of high thermal efficiency of diesel engines. Unlike traditional fuel powered car engines that require a wide range of speed and torque to directly drive the wheels, the task of a range extender is much more pure - it is a "generator" that charges the battery. Engineers can use sophisticated control strategies to keep this "generator" (whether it is a gasoline or diesel engine) running for as long as possible in its most efficient and fuel-efficient narrow speed range (such as keeping the engine in its "comfort zone" optimal operating point).

In this way, even gasoline engines with slightly lower natural thermal efficiency can perform very well when they are "fixed" in their most efficient range, with very low fuel consumption. At this point, the theoretical peak thermal efficiency advantage of diesel engines has been greatly reduced in practical applications. The comprehensive advantages of gasoline engines in terms of NVH (Noise Vibration Smoothness), cost, and ease of emission treatment are even more prominent. In the special position of "fixed-point high-efficiency power generation" in the range extender, the advantage of the "thermal efficiency top student" in the diesel engine has been matched by the "comprehensive quality excellent student" in the gasoline engine through precise work scheduling.

The energy density and theoretical power generation efficiency of diesel are indeed attractive. But engineering applications are always a complex art of balancing. The "shortcomings" of diesel engines in terms of noise, vibration, complexity of emission treatment, cost, and industry maturity are currently overshadowed by their strengths in the specific application scenario of passenger car range extenders.