Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 12:50:46 -0400
Reply-To: Jonathan Farrugia <jfarrugi@UMICH.EDU>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jonathan Farrugia <jfarrugi@UMICH.EDU>
Subject: Re: Diesels on NPR this morning
In-Reply-To: <20040512.092940.25545.208413@webmail16.lax.untd.com>
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looks good and thanks for the post but, i would assume that these studies
are based on the use of fossil diesel fuel. my understanding is if you
run B100 (biodiesel 100%) these numbers come way down in closer standing
with gasoline burning cars.
jonathan
On Wed, 12 May 2004, John wrote:
> >The TDI diesels of today are even cleaner.
> >With proper computerized fuel injection, soot and NOX are less than
> >gas engine emissions. With biodiesel, they even smell better than
> >gas exhaust.
>
> Not so - I wish it were true:
>
> Not trying to pick a fight, but diesel engines, even modern ones are not very clean. see http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/ and you will see that the VW diesels are among the worst polluting cars sold - even giant SUV's are generally better than them. In automotive industry periodicals, automakers are fearing that diesles will not be able to pass the latest pollution standards that are proposed. That's one reason the US is not mvoing their cars and trucks to diesels, which would greatly increase their CAFE and are moving to hybrids instead.
>
>
> from
> http://www.ucsusa.org/publications/report.cfm?publicationID=133
>
> While increasing the number of diesel vehicles on the road offers only modest potential reductions in global-warming pollution, it poses a significant risk to air quality. Under current emission standards for cars and trucks, diesels are allowed to pollute over twice as much nitrogen oxides as gasoline vehicles, and 10 to 100 times more particulate matter. Nitrogen oxides are a main precursor to smog (urban ozone), and particulates aggravate respiratory problems, including asthma, and have been associated with premature death.
>
> The following is a from a Swedish website
>
> New diesel cars are more detrimental to the environment and to health than new petrol-driven cars. Diesel cars have improved considerably over the last ten years, but exhaust emission control technology in petrol-driven cars has developed faster. This is the result of a study commissioned by the Swedish government and performed by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
>
> "Diesel cars emit much greater amounts of nitrogen oxides, particulates and carcinogenic substances than new petrol-driven cars. The current trend in increased sales of diesel cars is actually jeopardising our chances of achieving the environmental goals for cleaner air and reduced acidification and eutrophication", says Reino Abrahamsson at the Swedish EPA.
>
> "For the sake of the environment, it is better if car buyers choose a fuel-efficient environmentally classified petrol-driven car rather than a diesel", he adds.
>
>
>
> John
>
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