Why has no one made a practical diesel/electric hybrid car yet? This technology has been around for /over a century/ ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel-electric_transmission#Sh... )and I still have not seen a single diesel/electric hybrid.
Along these same lines, diesel cars aren't popular in America even though they get better mileage with less-refined fuel. I'm confident that if US auto mfgs wanted to, they could throw enough money at changing the perception of diesel as "dirty" in America to really help diesel take off. Why are we ignoring this perfectly viable, proven, reliable, and ancient technology in favor of battery packs which create tons of hazardous waste to produce and dispose of?!