Consumers Prefer Diesels Over Hybrids.

[Brett Dikeman]

At 6:19 PM -0400 5/25/03, Ed Birch wrote:

>However, automakers say that despite the fuel economy gains that diesels
>offer, most diesel enthusiasts will be disappointed with the vehicles that
>companies are forced to produce under new cleanair regulations proposed for
>diesel engines.

Well, a big part of the emissions "problem" is the high sulfur
content..and the trucking industry isn't going to go for low sulfur
fuel, because it's more expensive.

As for reducing NOx emissions- doesn't BioDiesel, combined with
altered timing, reduce NOx?  I doubt it drops it to the incredibly
low limit quoted later in the article, but it's certainly a step in
the right direction.  Too bad BD is so expensive, and still pretty
much not available...


>General Motors spokesperson Chris Preuss said, "Despite the growing interest
>in diesels, GM (and other automakers) will be fortunate to be able to sell
>its current lines of diesel-powered large pickup trucks after 2007 in the
>numbers it wants because of clean-air rules that the automaker, and the auto
>industry, are having difficulty meeting."

Oh, now that's low- aren't the trucks, being, well...trucks, excluded
from those clean-air rules?  If not, I suppose we'll just have to
toss out the whole clean-air legislation package, eh? :-)

Honestly, I think a major factor in the public not accepting hybrids
is a lot simpler than towing- the only way you can get a hybrid right
now is in one or two VERY hideous looking econobox forms.  Sorry, I
wouldn't drive that Insight(or whatever it was called) if you paid me
to- it's fugly.

Brett
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