Mercury's Diesel-Electric Hybrid

The Mercury Meta One is Ford Motor Company's latest foray into the world of advanced hybrid vehicles. But this concept is different in that it's a diesel-electric hybrid made to achieve stringent Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV) emissions levels. To achieve this with a diesel, the Meta One's engine is calibrated to run on a biomass-based Fischer-Tropsch diesel fuel developed in partnership with BP, and also uses an exhaust after-treatment system

that injects urea - a mixture of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen - into the exhaust stream.

It employs a twin-turbocharged, 2.7-liter  V-6 diesel engine combined with an electric motor/generator integrated into the transmission. This combination yields 248 hp and an astounding 431 lbs-ft of torque, with fuel economy some 30 percent better than a V-6 Ford Freestyle, placing it in range of a 27-30 mpg combined city/highway fuel economy rating.