So there's this big deal panel of "independent experts" from the National Research Council that advises the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) re: federal mpg standards. The last time the Council got together, they deemed diesel engines too dirty and hybrids as "too niche" for inclusion in their final report. Flash forward seven years and the Council finds that diesels could deliver 30 to 40 percent improvement in fuel efficiency over comparable gas engines. This time 'round, full-electric and fuel cell-powered vehicles didn't make the cut; "the committee does not expect commercialization of fuel cell vehicles or widespread marketing of all-electric vehicles before 2020." Although Congress insists that regulations must focus on gas engines– as these represent the vast majority of vehicles on the road– the inclusion of diesels in the new report may presage regulations allowing a new era of European-sourced high-efficiency oil burners in the U.S. Provided, that is, California doesn't trump the feds again and tighten their particulate standards, again…
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…could well presage a new era of European-sourced high-efficiency diesel models in the U.S.
YES. I for one welcome our new EuroDiesel overlords.
Can I have mine in the form of an Alfa Spider JTDM or an Audi TT Convertible with a TDI?
Thanks,
–chuck
http://chuck.goolsbee.org
I’m waiting for the TSX Diesel (Euro Accord). That engine reset the bar for others to be judged and broke many speed and power records for it’s size. Supposedly it will get 60mpg (not sure if that is same measure as the US mpg).
I want tbe Audi A4 Avant with the 2.0 TDi I rented in Germany two months ago! One drawback, however, is still the relative price difference in diesel to regular here in the US. Regardless of the increased MPG, most Americans will see the 40 cent per gallon difference and turn their noses up. That, and I think many Americans still associate diesels with “slow, loud and smelly.” Too bad, though. Just about every time I travel to Germany, I make sure to rent a diesel, regardless of manufacturer.
Can I have mine in the form of an Alfa Spider JTDM or an Audi TT Convertible with a TDI?
Thanks,
–chuck
No. There will be a diesel Kia Rio waiting for you. Enjoy! David
Make mine a diesel Fiat 500 once they’ve corrected whatever was wrong and restart the line.
I know what I’ll really get though is something like a Cobalt with a 2.4 reworked to run on diesel like the famous GM’s of the ’80s.
Dear Lord, make mine an Olds 350N Diesel, 105hp 350cid V8. Make sure it comes with a Stanadyne Roosamaster Pump.
Which car is it attached to, I don’t really care.
Make mine a BMW 123d. 204hp, 400nm, 54mpg combined.
Thanks!
I’ve already got the TDI Golf, but I’d sure like to have a DSG trans for it.
The diesels are coming! The diesels are coming!
Everytime somebody asks me if diesels are loud, slow, and puke black smoke I want to cry. It’s going to be years before people get their head out of their ass and see the light. And in the meantime, we’ll be awash with plug in cars that run on coal sourced electricity, and paying $36 a bag for Doritos because are corn is being pumped into a Silverado so John Cougar can sing something nice for Chevy about beating the terrorists in the oil war.
It’s no wonder my friends overseas laugh when they visit. I’m surrounded by idiots (present company excluded of course).
To play devil’s Advocate,
Does a wide spread switch to diesel really solve the problems we are facing? I mean, diesel is still refined from crude oil and last I checked we are still being told that we need to get away from fossil fuels for multiple reasons. Also, (and I’m not sure on this) I think there is a proportional production of gasoline and diesel per input unit of crude oil. That meaning, you can’t covert 100% of crude into diesel in our refineries.
He says it better:
http://carvideos.caranddriver.com – Friday, Feb 1 about 2:00 minutes in.
“Does a wide spread switch to diesel really solve the problems we are facing?”
No, but it sure can be a big help. Efficiency matters. If everyone who didn’t need to be commuting in big honking sub-15 mpg vehicles switched tomorrow to efficient over 40 mpg vehicles the consumption of fuel would drop massively. Perhaps that Billion Dollars Per Day the US is spending to import crude oil and fuel would drop to 1/2 Billion Dollars per day. It wouldn’t fix all the problems, but it sure would help.
Uh I wouldn’t be so quick to replicate the diesels that are in Europe. I was in London for a week prior to Christmas and at the end of the day you would be covered in diesel particulates. No joke, if you blew your nose it was black.
Luckily California will force diesels to be a little cleaner here in the US.
# wolffman :
I was in London for a week prior to Christmas and at the end of the day you would be covered in diesel particulates. No joke, if you blew your nose it was black.
That’s “tube dust” = mostly human skin and brake dust.
I live in central London (Wapping) and while we get soot on the windows, you only get proper black snot if you go on the tube :-)
New particulate regs come into force soon which is apparently going to make a big difference. Older diesels need to be reto-fitted with particulate traps etc.
.
cheers
Malcolm
how about a hybrid diesel? Shouldn’t that get about eleventybillion MPG ?