The future of diesel is here?

I came across of this web site, where a new technology is being implemented. Although, it is for trucks only for now, but the company is actively pursuing other options and vehicles for their technology. I understand that to move this concept to yachts would require lot of R&D, but we just never know. I wrote to them and their answer was that it could be installed in vessels, as well. So, take a look, read the technical part, think about the torque they create, and tell me, if this is really crazy?
Here is the link:
https://nikolamotor.com/one#faqs

Laz

Part of there mileage is going to be from the "recharging & saving brakes". This is not something that is going to happen on the water with out a change on how boats are propped.

I can envision turbo electric drive vessels BUT they will never be as economical as a Diesel engine. The heat plume you see coming out of a gas turbine is lost energy.

Really Crazy? Well, I guess I would say maybe "futuristic thinking" would be more appropriate.

But then if you read Popular Science magazine back in the day growing up, as I did, you would know they predicted we would all be traveling by electromagnetic levitation or personal flight systems through the air by the beginning of the 21st century. Certainly not driving earth bound, gasoline guzzling cars and trucks as we're still doing.

Interesting concept, futuristic and possibly attainable some day. It's all theoretical at this point as the vehicle only exits on paper to date. Definitely not ready for primetime and I think I'll keep my $1,500 deposit in my pocket for the moment.

This is basically a Prius type hybrid vehicle with some sort of turbine to recharge the battery rather than a small gasoline engine. Turbines are notoriously inefficient unless they use a "combined cycle" approach where the high temperature exhaust is refired and heat is recovered in a boiler. Simple cycle gas turbines such as this one are only 25% efficient, not 40%.


It will take huge amounts of compressed natural gas to run this beast. It will take a huge bank of CNG cylinders to hold enough to run it for eight hours.


The 320 KWH battery pack is going to be very expensive. A Nissan Leaf uses 1/30 of that size and replacements for the Leaf are about $5,000. And it will only run an 18 wheeler for a few hours, so most of the power has to come from the inefficient turbine.


Hang on to your deposits.


David

Yea, a GT is nowhere near their claimed 40% thermal efficiency unless you do someting like a Rankine steam cycle on the exhaust. Then add in the conversion losses and their efficiency claims look pretty unrealistic.

If they had a GT that efficient the patent would be worth billions.

The future of Diesel , or any fuel rests , sadly, with the buroRats , not the engineers.