America Says Hi to Cleaner Diesel, and Some Engines That Any State Could Like
by Alex Pasternack, Beijing, China on 10.15.06
"This is the single greatest achievement in clean fuel since lead was removed from gasoline a generation ago," says EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson. Starting Sunday, 80 percent of diesel fuel sold in the U.S. will be a cleaner, ultra low-sulfur emitting (ULSD) version that, while costing about 5 cents per gallon more, will dramatically reduce nasty particulate emissions. It's due to those biproducts -- and the tough emissions standards of California and the northeast states -- that diesel hasn't been as popular in the U.S. as it has in, say, Europe. Only 3.6 percent of cars in the U.S. are diesel-powered, while across the Atlantic, the number is almost 50 percent. The new fuel comes just in time for the delivery of Mercedes' diesel E320 sedan next week in 45 states; the company plans on releasing diesel cars that meet all states' standards by 2008. And Honda is preparing to enter the 50-state market in 2009, with its own innovative cleaner diesel engine (pictured), to be followed by Chrysler, GM, and VW and others.
Let the diesel invasion of the U.S. begin.
The cleaner (and quieter) 50-state-friendly engines, which will be offered in three of Mercedes Benz' sport-utility vehicles next year and in unnamed Honda models in 2009, boast improved combustion and better treatment of yucky and pesky nitrogen oxide emissions. While the Mercedes Bluetec engine will inject urea (yes, as in urine) to create the ammonia needed to scrub out nitrogen oxides, Honda's i-CTDi engine ingeniously creates ammonia on its own, by combining hydrogen with nitrogen inside a double-layer catalyst. That means not just cleaner emissions but potentially greater efficiency for the diesel engine -- which is already much more efficient (and, ahem, faster-accelerating) than a gasoline-powered one.
Honda has already made waves in the diesel tank earlier this year by patenting a treatment system that would use a plasma reactor -- a layer of gas -- to significantly reduce nitrogen oxides in its engine.
But such cleaning technologies can be energy-intensive, which is why the new low-sulfur fuel is so important: with less sulfur in the mix, emissions-control technologies can work more efficiently. Thus, cleaner-diesel engines become more enticing for automakers, who must comply with next year's strict new EPA rules for diesel engines.
Though diesel is expected to command up to a 12 percent market share by 2015, for now much of impact of the new regulations and technologies will likely be felt (or breathed) in the heavy-duty truck sector, where diesel is most commonly used.
And for the rest of us? While it's not as sexy as renewable energy, and is only part of an answer to our continuing energy challenge, the appeal of diesel -- with its higher torque, greater fuel economy, and lower carbon emissions than gasoline -- is rising.
The next natural step would be exploring how to make cleaner diesel hybrid engines. Add some biodiesel into the mix, and then you've got a really powerful vehicle for change.
via : : Chicago Tribune and : : New York Times.
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In Europe diesel costs 20 percent less than gasoline and diesel cars are 20 percent more efficient that gasoline cars. Let's say that gas costs 5 bucks a gallon in Europe. To go the same distance on diesel would only cost 3 bucks [5 - (5 x 40%)]. Nationally the average price of regular gas is 2.26 and the average price of diesel is 2.50. So diesel is 10.6 percent [(2.50- 2.26) / 2.26] more expensive per gallon. But it's 20 percent more efficient so it's still cheaper than gas by 9.4 percent (20 - 10.6).
It's not the economic advantage that Europeans enjoy but it's still significant.
More importantly it would reduce the rate of depletion of dwindling fossil fuel supplies by 20 percent.
Isn't biodiesel easier to make then ethanol as well?
It's my understanding that diesel engines are approx 40% efficient whereas petrol (gasoline) engines are only 30% efficient at liberating the energy in the fuel. My guess is that this is primarily because of the much higher compression ratios of diesel engines, and possibly also because there is less electrical energy required.
So those figures lead to diesel being theoretically 33% more efficient at liberating the energy in the fuel than petrol engines. And that directly leads to a similar percentage reduction in the CO2 emissions per mile travelled, given that you drive the vehicles in a similar fashion.
On the basis of this, anyone who cares in the slightest about climate change should make sure that their next vehicle is diesel powered if at all possible.
This is made much easier to bear because modern diesel cars have become much more driveable than petrol-engined cars, mainly because they have much more torque at low revs.
Why is treehugger so messed up? IT says there are 3 comments yet I see one. Type Key login gives a 404.
Diesel math isn't so straightforward.
First, a gallon of diesel has more energy content than a gallon of gasoline - about 11.2% more. This difference increases the more oxygenated gasoline is (eg, in wintertime). Diesel engines are also more expensive than gasoline engines. They are also more dirty, dollar for dollar, than gasoline ones. Lastly, prices per gallon have substantial regional and temporal variation, though over time, nationally, diesel has tended to be slightly more expensive. A substantial increase in demand for the fuel might increase the prices accordingly.
It'll be nice to see how the economics work out once the new 50-state diesels hit the market and things can be compared more readily.
Go diesel,
I have researched this a bit and this is what needs/may/should happen: the low sulfur diesel needsto be 10% bio-diesel. Why? Because studies have shown that mixing in just 10% bio-diesel will reduce emmisions by 50-90%, depending on the study. I have not see any studies done with the low sulfur stuff but you get the gist. I have trvelled in EU many times and have rented and riven their wonderful gas sipping cars, many of which have been American brands, and it boggles the mind that US car makers do supply the US merket with these better designed and engineered cars that run on diesel. WTF? Also, trying to find a good diesel car today is next to impossible.
Peace
I think one of the main reasons there are not more diesels in the US is because the engines are not made here. And there were transportation and import costs. We had the dirty diesel that could not run in the new engines too. But now with the cleaner gas and the urea injections, diesel won't be dirty any more. VW will also have a non urea engine that meets all 50 states emissions too.
I think one of the main reasons there are not more diesels in the US is because the engines are not made here.
So there's not more here because there's not more here? Fascinating.
The new ULS diesel can be used in next generation direct injection diesels that have instant start. Which means that at the red light, your engine does not idle, it just stops.
In crowded cities, it's been estimated that 12% of the fuel is used just sitting at red lights. Switching to instant start diesels would not only reduce this consumption, it would also reduce the polution.
Hey Tree hugger with the comment "US manufacturers do not make diesel engines"
Wrong. Cummins, Power stroke, detroit are all US companies.
In Spain Diesel engines are the standard, all the people use Diesel cars because,Theoretically, they spent less, and this is what you see if, for example, the European version of Ford Focus, which Diesel engines has a good fuel economy (near 50 miles per gallon) but this isn't true, because European standards for fuel economy "helps" diesel engine, then when you use your car, yes, it spend less than gasoline cars (because the only good gasoline cars in Europe are Japanese, because, for example, French cars haven't improve their gasoline engine for 10 years or more, and they have improve their diesel engines a lot). I really think that diesel engines will never be used in the USA because Americans use to drive more powerful cars than in Europe, the smallest Honda Accord's engine in the USA is the Highest engine of the European version, and in Europe the car costs much more than in the USA. I have to say that I love American cars, because of their sound and their power, and this is far away from what a Diesel engines are.
Sorry for my Poor English