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Thread: Why the US needs to embrace DIESEL

  1. #11
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    Re: Why the US needs to embrace DIESEL

    Oly - i like your idea for a diesel hybrid.. a small diesel motor normally gets 40-60 mpg depending on the engine and driving habits.. a hybrid gas engine gets 40-60 depending on the same factors.. combine the two, and i could forsee over 100mpg being easily achievable, with a very drivable car. I would love to have a 500 mile range with a 5 gallon diesel tank.. your lookin at less than $20 to fill up!

    Tanto - Europeans have other stuff over us as well, like good reliable public transportation systems, that normal everyday people use for their commutes rather than their Escalades ( mobile)

    as for radioactive waste, yes its a problem, but the amount created is so small.. For the same amount of energy, a nuclear plant creates a basketball size waste, a coal-fire plant could fill a large football stadium with the coal byproduct. And placing the waste below the crust sounds like a viable option to me if they can figure it out..
    - Kevin

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  2. #12

    Re: Why the US needs to embrace DIESEL

    Quote Originally Posted by Tanto
    Oly, your comment about the recharge time on electric cars reminded me of an episode of Top Gear where James May came to america to test Honda's hydrogen powered car and he commented on how we base our lives on the concept of the car as we know it. He went on to describe how we plan on being able to drive our cars as far as we want and then fill up with more fuel (power) in just a couple minutes and how an electric car that needs hours to recharge will mean that we will have gone backwards because it doesn't fit our driving habits.

    Back to discussing Europeans, I think that the other thing they have over us is that they aren't afraid of small cars to just get you to work and especially in the cities as a runabout. If we as Americans could get away from our love of big SUV's and trucks for our personal vehicles in areas that clearly don't need it we would be much better off. Not to say that SUVs and trucks don't have their purpose in remote areas, farms, etc. but a large percentage of people just don't need them to do what they want.
    It would definitely be a step backwards. The US is set up VERY spread out compared to a lot of countries, and we travel in our vehicles a lot. Hell, it's that dang old idea of freedom that we (and myself) hold so dear that we can hop in our vehicles and drive 1000+ miles for a vacation. I wouldn't want to trade it because it's something I truly enjoy doing. I love driving hours and hours out into the middle of nowhere, set up camp, and just soak in the solitude!

    That being said, there's nothing wrong with changing the source of energy we use, it just has to allow for people to still enjoy those activities.

    I'm actually in the market for a cheap little subaru AWD to get around town and to commute with. It saves wear and tear on the truck, better mileage on the truck, and allows for me to actually work on the truck and not have to limit myself to short/easy projects so I can get it back on the road.

    I do agree that trucks and SUVs have become status symbols in our society, and as time goes on affording food, housing, cloths will become more important to those people...... Never mind. Most of those idiots will pay their car payments before they pay their rent or buy food (don't ask how I know).

    It'll take a lot to wake people up, but with the economy in the shitter, the future being not so easy to predict, and the ever rising costs of gas and diesel, more and more will gravitate towards more efficient vehicles for day-to-day transportation.
    Gone but not forgotten: 2004 Tacoma/2006 Fourwheel Camper<br /><br />ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ<br /><br />&quot;Tyrants mistrust the people, hence they deprive them of arms.&quot;<br />- Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

  3. #13

    Re: Why the US needs to embrace DIESEL

    Quote Originally Posted by Crinale
    Oly - i like your idea for a diesel hybrid.. a small diesel motor normally gets 40-60 mpg depending on the engine and driving habits.. a hybrid gas engine gets 40-60 depending on the same factors.. combine the two, and i could forsee over 100mpg being easily achievable, with a very drivable car. I would love to have a 500 mile range with a 5 gallon diesel tank.. your lookin at less than $20 to fill up!
    And, as it stands now, it's a good solution if bio diesel takes off, if not, a good stepping stone.

    We're pouring money into R&D for alternative fuels, and it's great, but we also need to find ways to take what we already have infrastructure for (gas/diesel) and use it as efficiently as possible.

    We are already doing it with lighting (CFL's and LED's vs incandescent). Simply taking an energy source and using it more efficiently.

    I've yet to know/hear exactly why a vehicle like this hasn't been implemented (on anything but Top Gear, thank you James May). It seems like a good idea, but who knows, perhaps there's issues that are cost prohibitive? But I don't buy that.
    Gone but not forgotten: 2004 Tacoma/2006 Fourwheel Camper<br /><br />ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ<br /><br />&quot;Tyrants mistrust the people, hence they deprive them of arms.&quot;<br />- Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

  4. #14
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    Re: Why the US needs to embrace DIESEL

    ya i dont see anything that would be cost prohibitive for it.. honestly, even if you just plugged a diesel engine into the already existing hybrid systems you would see 100mpg. and a diesel engine is no more difficult to make than a gas engine..
    - Kevin

    2018 Taco TRD Pro - 2.5" lift, 33" tires, everything else stock.
    2012 Triumph Tiger XC - Stock

  5. #15

    Re: Why the US needs to embrace DIESEL

    Crinale - Europeans designed their cities for public transportation (think of the small, awkwardly placed streets) whereas here in America, the rail system wasn't established long enough before the car came along and changed the way our public transport system was designed. Then you have our national highway system which was designed to facilitate our nuclear strike capability by being able to move the mobile ICBM launchers quickly and easily so we can thank the Cold War for our highway system.

    Oly - I've read a couple magazine articles where they asked some people to think of what the future of energy would be and it all looked promising with the way I described of disposing of the nuclear waste. What I thought was interesting was that everyone they asked used Nuclear Power as a basis for our society's growing energy needs, which was also supplemented by green energy in the more remote areas to reduce the amount of power from the grid and reduce the footprint of transporting energy from main energy plants to these remote areas.

    As far as hybrids go, I am very surprised that they don't use diesel as the on-board motor for all the reasons everyone has described. And since the electric drive system of hybrids require virtually no maintenance, it would seem to make sense to put a diesel powerplant under the hood for it's reliability factor as well as the fact that there is a whole industry separate from the car companies that has been focusing on creating just this type of powerplant (think generators).
    [glow=blue,2,300]2002 4WD TOYOTA TACOMA &quot;TURTLE TACO&quot;[/glow]&nbsp; &lt;All the goods listed here&gt;

  6. #16

    Re: Why the US needs to embrace DIESEL

    Just as a sidenote, I wish that the military installations would offer diesel at the pumps instead of just gas. With a current 18 cent tax on diesel, that would make me want to fill up on base. My only concern with that would be the cetane of the fuel they offered there, since it can vary greatly from gas station to gas station.

    If anyone was interested in the cetane rating of each fuel company's pumps, you can check out this link http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=200694

    [glow=blue,2,300]2002 4WD TOYOTA TACOMA &quot;TURTLE TACO&quot;[/glow]&nbsp; &lt;All the goods listed here&gt;

  7. #17

    Re: Why the US needs to embrace DIESEL

    I say if Top Gear can build a diesel hybrid, the major automakers should be able to as well.

    I do think electric cars are the future, and I'm all for building nuclear reactors and driving around in electric cars. As technology progresses, electric cars will become more and more popular. Many people have at least 2 cars anyways, so having an electric car as a DD and a gas/diesel car for travel makes sense IMO. If I could afford a new DD, I'd check out a Nissan Leaf, or whatever Toyota has to offer in the next few years. I like the idea and have thrown around the idea of building my own electric car.
    -Daniel2000 4Runner Sport | V6 | 5spd | 4x4 | Leather | 265/75-16 BFG AT/KO | OBA | BudBuilt front skid

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  8. #18

    Re: Why the US needs to embrace DIESEL

    Ryan,

    I hear ya on the diesel/hybrid. It kills me how our own auto mfg industry and the Federal govt seem almost in cahoots and then in contradiction to whats best for our national interests (less dependence on foreign oil) and whats good for our private industry and our environment. As you've stated and I'm sure youve seen on your many travels, the technology is clearly out there and we are a few years behind. Like I've read an article about a Ford Fusion or Focus in the UK that has a great diesel engine that gets killer mpg, but Ford says that by bringing it over, it would be cost prohibitive. What a bunch of monkey pellet sh#t. These US auto mfgs charge a premium for the hybrid or diesel option---and people are buying them.

    Dan,

    I've been researching the build of an electric car too. There's tons of websites out there. The cost of those motors are coming down too as I've heard as that is the main cost next to the donor vehicle. Oh if only I had a big garage! Some websites say you can do it for around $2200, but that's a pipe dream IMHO unless someone drops a pristine donor vehicle. There are some companies who have drop in kits, the most popular it seems is a Chebby S10---but who the F'k wants to drive an S10?!? :P

  9. #19

    Re: Why the US needs to embrace DIESEL

    Quote Originally Posted by Robinhood4x4
    If the battery lives up to the hype and expectations, it is a great leap in battery technology. It should be relatively immune to temperature, very little age effects and great energy density. With a charger running off of 220V at home, it'll take 7 hours to charge up to 80%, while a fast charger at public stations running off of 480V will charge the car up to 80% in 30 minutes. So basically, use the car to commute to work, run errands, then charge it up overnight.
    Not only infrastructure but also pricing. Most if not all utilities charge a premium for usage during peak hours. Some utilities like So Cal Edison charge at a tiered rate. So your cumulative usage, even if charging your plug in at the lowest kwh time range, will eventually put you up in the highest tiered pricing band and possibly negate your cost savings. That's an issue many utilities are trying to address as we speak

  10. #20

    Re: Why the US needs to embrace DIESEL

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob98SR5
    Not only infrastructure but also pricing. Most if not all utilities charge a premium for usage during peak hours. Some utilities like So Cal Edison charge at a tiered rate. So your cumulative usage, even if charging your plug in at the lowest kwh time range, will eventually put you up in the highest tiered pricing band and possibly negate your cost savings. That's an issue many utilities are trying to address as we speak
    My friend did say it doesn't make as much financial sense to own an electric car in CA as it does in AZ, ironically. Az is giving a price break to those who get a Leaf (or maybe that's any electric car?) where if you charge during off peak hours it comes out to about $0.02 per mile. Compare that to $0.09 per mile for our corolla (~31 mpg) and $0.15 per mile for my 07 4runner (~20 mpg). This is the reason he gets to drive when we go out to lunch.

    My friend's dad had the S10 back in the day. I don't know what the range is now, but the one he had only got something like 40-50 miles. Not enough to make it practical, in my opinion. The key to an electric car is the batteries and if those budget builds use lead acid, the range will suck. Li ions are the way to go but then you have to deal with special chargers, exploding batteries, and most importantly, cost.
    -------------------------
    Steve
    1993 4runner, SAS, 3.0L, Auto Tranny
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