Diesel Cars

Re: Diesel Car Highs and Lows: What's your opinion?

toolpit — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:13:01 GMT

Diesel cars are not new. They've been widely popular in Europe where they secured 50 percent of the overall market last year. But they've been slow to catch on in the United States, capturing only 2.3 percent of the market.

J. D. Power and Associates predicts that by the year 2015, they will slightly outsell hybrids, 1.5 million to 1.45 million. But to fulfill that prediction, diesels will have to overcome their environmentally unfriendly image. For decades, it was tough for car manufacturers to meet tighter U.S. emission standards for pollutants—specifically nitrogen oxides, or NOx.

Re: Diesel Car Highs and Lows: What's your opinion?

typicalmail — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:55:33 GMT

Well I'm honestly surprised to hear no discussion of biodiesel on this website (and a bit dissapointed). Biodiesel made from renewable waste-stream feedstock is THE "greenest" fuel on the planet. In the western and southern US, this fuel source can be used in any diesel vehicle with little or no modifications with little or no noticeable changes in performance. I have driven an '81 Mercedes diesel for several years, and recently invested in a 2003 VW Golf TDI. The Golf gets 40 - 45 mpg, and I run it on 100% biodiesel. That means that the emissions are cleaner than a Prius, and I have the added benefit of supporting the local, renewable, and American-produced biodiesel industry here in CA. And it's all carbon-neutral, much more so than soy or corn based biofuels, since our biodiesel is made from waste vegetable oil from local restaurants.

Anyway, I could go on all day. KBB Green needs to get some resources up on here about sustainably produced biodiesel, because it eliminates this whole "downside" of diesel emissions and the need for scrubbing. If there were a federal mandate for blending biodiesel into retail petroleum diesel, that could effectively make the scrubbing issue moot. Check out some of the things that progressive businesses are doing with biodiesel on the West Coast.

http://www.biofueloasis.com/

http://www.sqbiofuels.com/

http://www.bentlybiofuels.com/

Re: Diesel Car Highs and Lows: What's your opinion?

petty026 — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:16:37 GMT

KBBGreenEditor:

With cleaner diesel fuel and new engine and emissions technologies, it's a new dawn for diesel in the U.S. Are you ready? Is the rest of the country? Which of the new or imminent 50-state diesel vehicles would you most readily put in your driveway?

Need more info before taking a stance? Here's help:

The 10 Cars that will Change your Mind about Diesel

Diesel Car Highs: More Efficient than Gasoline Power Steering Pump Parts

Diesel Car Lows: A Fossil Fuel Nevertheless

Now we're dealing with diesel fuels that is much more economical and practical than gasoline. Nice article.

Re: Diesel Car Highs and Lows: What's your opinion?

winterulz — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:19:22 GMT

I agree compleetly there are four stroke snowmobiels and dirtbikes that can keep up with two strokes. lets go a step further and get diesel to keep up with gas.

Re: Diesel Car Highs and Lows: What's your opinion?

JoePhysics — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:22:28 GMT

The Europeans (most governments) have chosen to collect revenue & encourage conservation by regulating fuel prices via their tax system. I cannot testify as to details, but the high fuel prices do work to encourage use of the most efficient choices for transport. They have very good rail systems and city mass transit which means that lower income workers seldom feel the need for cars, or chose small cars and motorbikes (or just bicycles - hence the Tour de France). Thermodynamically (I am a Physicist) the compression ratio is the primary factor for efficiency (establishes a ceiling) so diesel, needing the high compression, is the most energy efficient choice. The added stress also requires a more sturdy engine, but diesels last a long time. Engines with spark plugs cannot reach the high compression of a diesel without special/expensive fuel.

In the US, we decided on controlling POLLUTION by direct regulation of emissions, not energy use. The result is a complex engineering problem that puts diesel engines at a disadvantage because with the dirty diesel fuel (high sulfur) and high compression (high flame temp) diesels generate more Sulfur dioxide and Nitrogen Oxides which are major causes of acid rain.

Now the fuel is cleaner, (reducing Sulfur) and new exhaust pipe engineering reduces Nitrogen oxides, Also new injector systems reduce noise.

In short, the europeans got a similar reduction in pollution by a different (better I think) approach which permitted them to reduce emissions by reducing consumption.

They had to invest heavily in infrastructure and car ownership costs though, which is now beginning to pay off nicely. They had to use a different solution because they were not so resource rich as we were, and their choice made very good economic sense after WW 2.

Re: Diesel Car Highs and Lows: What's your opinion?

KBB ANALYST — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:40:22 GMT

Bring on the diesel. . . . . I am ready for change!!! I have been driving around in my 1987 Mercedes 300td wagon!!! With 223k miles, It still pulls almost 30 mpg in comparison to the comparable gas car obtaining about 20 mpg.

Bmw is launching it's first set of diesel's in the U.S. since the 524td back in the mid 80's.

BMW will launch a 3 series, the X3, and X5 with a turbo diesel powertrain option. I heard from a famous comedian that averaged over 50 mpg on a trip from L.A. to San Francisco in her 3 series turbo diesel. Quiet and powerful....She loved it!!!!

Subaru is also set to launch the first horizontally opposed boxer diesel engine on U.S. shores next year. Expected to obtain over 40 mpg, the boxer diesel should win the hearts of those fuel mileage conscious buyers.

Re: Diesel Car Highs and Lows: What's your opinion?

Decebalus — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:47:34 GMT

I would buy a diesel car. How come Europe has all the diesels available and we don't? What's the difference? We invest more money on hybrids and electric cars, but nobody says anything about the bad they do when they build these cars... which is far more than driving an SUV...

Ford makes one of the best diesel engine.. in Europe... and the worst cars here... But if I have to choose.. I will choose the VWs made in Europe...

Diesel Car Highs and Lows: What's your opinion?

KBBGreenEditor — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:05:43 GMT

With cleaner diesel fuel and new engine and emissions technologies, it's a new dawn for diesel in the U.S. Are you ready? Is the rest of the country? Which of the new or imminent 50-state diesel vehicles would you most readily put in your driveway?

Need more info before taking a stance? Here's help:

The 10 Cars that will Change your Mind about Diesel

Diesel Car Highs: More Efficient than Gasoline

Diesel Car Lows: A Fossil Fuel Nevertheless