http://www.popularmechanics.com/blog...s/4219904.html

I couldn't find the whole list of cars and trucks from GM, Ford etc that are coming out in the next couple of years but, the Magazine at the store has a whole write up on them.

Basically, more power, more fun; less weight( ), cheaper, same or similar milage, and much longer engine life...kinda what they were getting at...

 

I still believe when someone combines turbopowered & biodiesel, both hybrids and E85 are in for a world of hurt.

 

I doubt you get 60MPG while "having fun" with the car.

 

You would prefer to not get 22MPG while "having fun" in an LS1?

 

I drove a 11,500lb truck for the Postal Service in what would be described as severe duty. Inner city mail collection. Sort of like a Fedex or UPS operation and a similar truck. I would drive the truck 2 blocks or maybe 2 miles, get up to 50-60 mph then pull over shut the truck off at every stop. There were over 50 stops per 5 hour route and the engine stopped and started each time and the route was about 60 miles. Somehow the GM 6.5 diesel got 10 mpg. Sometimes even 10.5. Amazing. It also had a 4l80e and 4.56 gears and the aero properities of a brick and I drove it like a typical F-body owner. You had to inorder to keep up with traffic. Then one day I found a biodiesel pump, I talked to the mechanic, he said they are running it elsewhere so give it a try.

The truck used to smoke a little at startup and WOT. It was black smoke. The B20 eliminated all the smoke, I was very surprised. The mpg stayed the same, the filters clogged initially but after a change they stayed cleaner. B20 has a more detergent effect than D2. So it burned cleaner, kept the filters cleaner and the best part, it cost 10 cents less per gallon than D2. The Postal Service used 2.2 million gallons in 2006 and were aiming for 3.3 million in 2007. With 65% of oil coming from overseas its nice to be burning stuff made of soybeans grown in the USA.

Its a shame that all this emissions equipment needs to be on our diesels. It would add $2,50-3,000 to a Polo. No longer under $20,000 then. Not many folks are interested in paying 23K for a subcompact. Add in that diesel often costs 10-25% more then gas. I think Biodiesel is better then E85, the unfront costs hurt though.

 

Sounds great, but it is no good unless you can buy one in the US

 

Yea, I know - clean air pisses me off, too.

Trust me, the major European cities that I've visited are good example of why diesels need modern levels of emission control equipment.

To the OP - is it really news that teeny tiny cars with turbodiesels obtain good fuel economy? And how does this threaten the development of hybrids? What if we combine diesel IC engines with hybrid powertrains - would this not be the best of both worlds?

 

Somewhere, an article is written on why a Diesel IC series/parallel hybrid wouldn't work.

And yeah, Europe's emissions laws are slightly weaker than ours, same with Japan's.
Some people bash NA vehicles for crummy mileage, but little do they know our air is going to stay cleaner longer.

 

Maybe I should have clarified?
Bad news for "current" hybids, concentrating on Gas/electric...

I think it's more the use of Direct Injection? that's going to make diesels or small diesels more fun and efficient.
(I wonder if I'll see the "Precept" at NAIAS this weekend....?)

Infact I'd LOVE to see trucks heading in the Diesel/electric hybrid direction.

Power to tow when you need it, yet tool around the city in electric mode when unloaded, where milage usually sucks the most.

And International Truck (ITE) have had green diesel tech for a while, buses in California cities etc..

 

Direct injection is not new technology for diesels. Probably the biggest driver in diesel performance has been the proliferation of variable-vane technology. It's getting better and more affordable every year. Engine management is also getting much better, and that's largely driven by tighter emission requirements (just like what happened with gas engines).

I have no idea what you're talking about, and everything new at NAIAS has already been displayed during the media days.

I hope someone informs the heavy truck industry about this!