Fuel economy being as important as it is these days,there's a natural feeling that hybrid diesel/electric or gasoline/electric boats may offer improved mileage (better efficiency).It seems obvious: It works on cars,so it should work for boats.Unfortunately,hybrid propulsion is not the solution for boats. All ground vehicles (cars,trucks,buses,etc.) spend a significant portion of their time either braking,coasting,going downhill,or creeping along in bumper-to-bumper traffic.In all of these situations,the internal-combustion engine needs to deliver little or no power,yet it must continue to run inefficiently nevertheless.Hybrid electric cars take advantage of this by effectively shutting down or electronically nearly shutting down the internal-combustion engine and using stored electric power during these specific periods.If you add in capturing regenerated power during breaking and going downhill,the fuel savings are significant.
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