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Did someone say hybrid?
From what I've heard, modern hybrid trucks are usually about power and torque delivery and not so much about fuel mileage, although there can be an advantage.
Consider: all vehicles come with engines that are oversized for your average power consumption. For an example, a lot of vehicles only use some 20hp to cruise along at 60mph, but usually have an engine that's around 10 times bigger since acceleration takes a whole lot more power. A hybrid can help by allowing you to use a less oversized engine, which is better for your average power consumption, like cruising, but still allow you to have the same torque/power/acceleration characteristics by combining the smaller engine with an electric motor.
Alternator mod/delete?
There's also the advantage of regenerative braking with a hybrid. Which also throws into my mind alternator mods. I do believe Mazda has an ultracapacitor system that keeps the alternator off most the time, but runs it full blast when you let off the throttle pedal. This then rapidly charges an ultracapacitor bank which in turn is used to charge the 12V battery.
Of course if your drives aren't that long, you could delete the alternator (or just disconnect it somehow) and charge it up with a 12V battery charger at home. But obviously if you're going to be running a lot of electric stuff, like electric vacuum pump for the brakes, you may want to keep the alternator.
Crazy mod
It would be a major mod, but if you have the knowhow and trust a good custom cam company you could get a cam that allows for a atkinson o miller cycle. You'd also might have to change the turbo for another or maybe even a supercharger instead. Of course you'd have to be able to tune it a lot with your tune kit. In the end you'd have less power, but better efficiency and fuel mileage. And if you figure out a way to hook up an electric motor and HV battery you could have yourself a hybrid.
Turbo's effect
Good question about the turbo. A turbo helps efficiency since it allows you to use a higher load, which a higher load in a diesel means better efficiency. A turbo also is able to take advantage of exhaust gas pressure that would have otherwise been lost, unlike a supercharger. (Although the atkinson and miller cycle engines kind of take advantage of that exhaust gas pressure at the piston itself.) But there is also the question of turbo efficiency at different speeds. This isn't the same as engine efficiency, it's how effective the turbo turns exhaust gas pressure into intake pressure.
Engine heat
I had a 1,500W block heater on my 1.6L diesel I'd use for 15min to 2hrs (depending on the weather) before driving and am looking to get that kind of block heaters installed on my current cars. But my dream has always been to make a very large heat storage tank on my cars that works a lot like the 2nd gen Prius' heat storage system, and then to insulate the engine as best as possible.
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