This graph made by the Department of Energy is the only argument a compression ignition enthusiast needs...check and mate. 

    The other night I saw a Volkswagen commercial where the diesel Jetta was talking smack to the Toyota Prius. I think this debate will prove to be one of the biggest and the most important questions we face in this second decade of the 21st century. Let's face it energy is king. We used to have stone, bronze and steel eras now we have wood, coal, oil, nuclear, and ? generations.  Our Federal  highway transportation system reflects how we live it created the Suburbs (for better or for worse) and helped eliminate small town main street. Instead of the Eisenhower highway system I would rather have four wheel drives and rough roads.

In LA people spend some of their time in parking lots the rest is spent stuck on the freeways. Since moving here I've considered taking up smoking cigarettes at least that way I will be able to breathe through a filter. I grew up breathing clean air in Minnesota know I can't stand the stuff.

When we consider rules and laws for vehicles I think we need to look at where the vehicles will be driven. City versus everywhere else. In the city what we have now makes no sense. What's worse most of the people who legislate are from the city (I assume). The Department of Transportation is trying to fit 500 pounds of crap in a 5 pound bag. In the city there should be public transportation and electric small cars (batteries ok here if the city is ready to deal with the piles of batteries).  Tractor trailers should unload at depots outside the city and have smaller trucks do the deliveries (this might not work in all situations like hauling massive things but that is usually done at night anyway). I love public transportation for other people just not for me.  It will get the people who don't want to drive in the first place off the road. Plus manufactures will not have to cater to people who are mechanically and automotively illiterate. Maybe future cars won't ding, ding, ding you know make all those stupid noises created to irritate and four wheel drives will stay four wheel drives, basically no compromises.  Electric cars work good if you only have to go less than 100 miles (that's city driving).

Everywhere else people need energy density. If they need energy density they need diesel. Someday we will come up with a way to store electricity compactly but until then its Diesel Power.

I think a hydraulic hybrid,  compressed air hybrid, compressed spring hybrid, kinetic energy hybrid, and/or a CNG/Hydrogen/Propane hybrid are much better ideas than a battery hybrid considering the state of the battery today. I like capacitors. I like electricity just not giant heavy, poisonous batteries.  Solar power  on each car is ok too since it is decentralized.  I would pu a windmill on the car too so it has something to do when its sitting in the parking lot. The electricity could go to power a hydrogen generator instead. Consider we need to mine the materials for batteries that takes energy and it makes messes.

If we want to use electricity we should generate it in the car with a diesel or steam generator. Otherwise if we have a centralized electrical system think of all the costs environmentally and economically. People who do not think ahead will face the consequences sooner of later. Imagine we have all these electric cars we will need to string high power electrical lines. That costs money and do you think environmentalists are going to to like stringing high volt lines through national parks? Since the power from solar, wind and geo is created where people don't live it will be a problem. Unless they can figure out how Tesla transmitted power through the air but are we as smart as Tesla?

Also what the Toyota Prius is in my eyes is a overgrown disposable cell phone. Where do we send our outdated electronic products today? Third world countries where small hands feverishly separate the plastic coating on wires to get at the precious metals. I saw this in Bangladesh. The kids get poisoned.  I would like to see how long it takes to separate a Toyota Prius at a junk yard by hand this is wher they will end up.I have seen giant machines that pulverize the cars into little pieces and then sort the chunks but their has to be a better way. Don't build disposable junk. The car companies say they'll buy back the batteries but what about the rest of the car? Also what happens if these cars make it to the third world or remote rural areas? 

Diesels last longer and are easier to recycle if they ever die.Let's not forget the dangers of EMF. Electromagnetic frequency. Does it cause cancer? What happens if your driving a truck 9 hours a day?  

When considering tomorrows vehicles there are a few fallacies (brain farts) many people make.

Finite Ideas Fallacy: Some people don't realize the future is infinite. We are not a predetermined path anythings possible.  

They would have done it already fallacy: This is thinking's worst enemy. Critics say we can't do that or that's impossible because manufactures aren't doing it today. Imagine if everyone thought this way nothing would get done. Some bozo once said science reached its limit at the end of the 20th century.