A step in the right direction.

[catfood]

Nial,

It would appear the US public needs re-educating over diesel cars /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif (maybe there's a money making opportunity importing them!). Far from being slow and noisey, modern common rail diesels are a match, performance wise, for petrol vehicles. They certainly aren't any noisier than petrol from the inside and I wouldn't consider a 40% inprovement in economy over my previous petrol car 'slight' (diesel cost around the same as petrol over here). BMW also do a 3 series diesel capable of 0-60 in 7 seconds with a top wack in excess of 140mph.

Having said that I don't really like my Renault that much now I've been living with it for a year! But that is because of poor ventilation and feeble aircon. It also has a few stupid design faults such as wipers you can't flip back when washing the windscreen as they bind on the bonnet and screenwashers that spray such a fine spray that most blows over the car, however you adjust them etc.

 

[Bugeye58]

Steve, I think a large part of the American's reluctance to adapt to diesels is the fiasco of the General Motors attempt in the '70s to convert a gasoline engine to diesel, with predictable results. They were slow, noisy, totally unreliable, smoked and stank. Diesel automobiles here were a novelty then, and you only saw an occasional Mercedes 240D on the road.
With gasoline prices so low here, compared to the rest of the world, there has been no real incentive to change.
I think it is going to be a long process to re-educate the people here in the states to the viability of diesels, and the outlook as to energy consumption in general. Bio-diesel is something that comes up once in awhile, but only as a passing fad.
As an aside, the first time I drove a Bimmer diesel was on a test track, and I wasn't aware that it was a diesel until it was time for fuel! That thing rocked!!
Jeff

 

[Bret]

[ QUOTE ]

It would appear the US public needs re-educating over diesel cars.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would tend to agree with you on that. However as Nial & I pointed out there are other issues that would make the transition from gas to diesel here in the US a little more difficult that just educating folks.

 

[Mark Jones]

[ QUOTE ]
So why no diesel cars over there?

One of the other problems with North American diesels is the actual fuel. Our diesel fuel comes mostly from high-sulfer ("sour") crude oil (I think, from Venezula). European diesel fuel is sourced from low-sulfer ("light and sweet") crude from the Middle-East. It's easier to reduce smoke and emissions with the fuel you use, so conumers find them more acceptable.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is soon going to change because of the move to Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel, ULSD. Presently I am working on a ULSD project for a local refinery and refineries all across North America have to be producing ULSD within a couple years. I believe all European refineries are already producing ULSD. This will reduce sulphur levels in diesel to less that 5 parts per million. The other move to common rail diesel engines gives an engine that is similar in performance to a gas, as mentioned above, plus emissions as low as gas engines. The days of black smoke billowing out the back end of a VW are soon to disappear. I can't wait to get a diesel that can pass more than a fuel station /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Ken G]

In response to Catfood, and to help US readers:

The Imperial gallon used in the UK is almost exactly 1.2 US gallons. Hence for instance 50 mpg UK is 41.7 mpg US (and for my old Rover, 14 mpg UK is 11.7 mpg US!)

Thus Catfood's father-in-law's BMW achieving 50 mpg in the UK is not so very different from my 318ti achieving 40 mpg in the US (while meeting California's smog requirements). Diesels don't come into it. What does is the lack of options on smaller engine sizes in the US. In Europe most manufacturers give several options; in the US you can frequently only buy one or two (unnecessarily) large engines. Today I cannot buy a 3-series BMW with a 1.8 or 1.9 litre engine (it has to be 2.5 or 3.3). (Yes, I know a larger engine doesn't necessarily mean consuming more fuel, but generally that is when the smaller engine is inadequate and therefore working hard for a substantial proportion of the time).

Ken G, 1925 Rover 16/50 (San Francisco)

 

[MattP]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think I'm the only one, but if all vehicles do become hybrids and/or alternate power (besides petrol), and they outlaw gas cars, I will be a very unhappy camper. No more British cars, no more roaring V8s, no more burbling straight 6s, and basically everything I love will be gone. What's the point of owning a car that just kind of buzzes along? I like to have a humongous noise as I drive.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually one of the alternatives we will be in great position to adapt to. Hydrogen. There is already on the market a carb that will allow you to burn H2 in any petrol engine. It will work in either a full H2 or a partial mix situation. Not to mention Alcahol. So I really don't see the demise of gasoline engines in the near future.

https://www.h2carco.com/home.html

This looks like it could make a bit of the noise you like. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Mark Beiser]

One of the biggest problems with hybrid cars is the drivers. Most people that get them, drive the car just like they would any normal car. Wich means they mash the accelerator down to far, so the gas engine comes on to often. They run the air conditioning, even in mild weather, instead of rolling down a window, wich causes the gas engine to run constantly. Worst of all, most hybrid car drivers almost totally negate the regenerative braking by braking late and hard like most people do.

The key to getting the economy out of the hybrid is to accelerate gently on the electric motor, and not run the air conditioning if you don't have to.
Most importanly, the driver should anticipate when they need to stop or slow down, and only use the brakes lightly. All hybrid cars have regenerative braking where the electric motor becomes a generator that will charge the batteries when decelerating.
Unfortunatly, most drivers don't seem to pay attention to much of anything going on more than about 100 feet in front of them, if that, so one of the most important aspects of the successful operation of a hybrid car goes unutalized.

The reason hybrids have higher fuel economy listed for city driving than highway driving is because, when driven properly, the gas engine doesn't run as much per mile on average as it does during highway driving. If driven properly, the car runs mostly off the elecric motor during lower speed driving, the gas engine only runs to charge the battery, or if the air conditioning is on, and regenerative braking helps keep the batteries charged. The gas engine runs most or all of the time driving at highway speeds, and there isn't much regenerative braking going on.....usually....


I find it very amusing/interesting that one of the top complaints about hybrid cars and one of the top complaints about the Hummer H2 are the same, gas milage....

To the hybride drivers, learn to /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif it properly! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif

To the Hummer drivers, DUH! Its the size and wieght of a HOUSE. If are finding the cost of gas to run your $70,000 truck to be a hardship, this is for you./ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nopity.gif