Posted by MoparNorm on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 at 09:20:43 :
In Reply to: Maybe Detroit will get smart... posted by Peter Sprouse on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 at 23:01:02 :
Environmentalist have been trying to kill diesels for 30 years, mainly because of ignorance about diesels (stinky and smelly they think) based upon the GM fiasco of many years ago.
Modern, small, American made diesels exist, but emission regulations are holding them back. The Detroit Diesel 2.8 found in the Jeep Liberty was a 45 state only motor, it was killed by the ULSD mandate. The new Merc 3.0 Blue-tech diesel is also a 45 state only motor. Cummins has a 4.0 with 1 million test miles on it, it meets 2009 regulations, they are waiting for a manufacturer (Chrysler) to start their 2009 model run. The VW TDI diesel gets 54 mpg, better than a hybrid (what happens to your hybrid $4,800 battery pack in 4 years?) but the TDI cannot meet the new 5 state regulations, it is out of production until next year.
CA and "the gang of 5" have mandated stringent anti-diesel regulations on vehicles under 6,000 lbs GVW in an attempt to kill small diesel development, they fear the comming diesel revolution that will change the way we drive.
If ALL vehicles sold in the USA came with diesels we would see a savings of 35%-40% in fuel usage and nearly eliminate our need to import oil from the middle east.
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