Date:         Fri, 22 Jun 2007 14:22:11 -0600
Reply-To:     don spence <dkspence@TELUS.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         don spence <dkspence@TELUS.NET>
Subject:      Re: What is it with the US?  (No real van content)
In-Reply-To:  <20070622190334.A19XT2KW3N@priv-edtnaa11.telusplanet.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed

Could it be that Big Oil doesn't want to spend the bucks modifying or
building refineries for clean diesel??


On 22-Jun-07, at 12:59 PM, Automatic digest processor wrote:

> Subject: Re: What is it with the US?  (No real van content)
>
> I don't feel that this is primarily the reason diesels aren't
> making it into
> the US, but is a factor for certain.  My sense of it is that
> someone doesn't
> want them here. Not sure how the whole argument would work, but
> somebody
> doesn't. I know the EPA is further curtailing particulate
> emissions, which
> is one of the immediate reasons the OEMs aren't shipping in, but
> there is
> something else going on.  It makes sense for the OEMs to be gun-shy
> about it
> since what CA tends to do wind up happening down the road
> nationwide. Watch
> the bluetec diesel closely to see what happens, that will be  a bigger
> determinant than watching foreign diesels, even in Canada.
>
> With new CAFE requirements coming along with the new unified 35mpg
> requirement up from the current 27.5/22.5 car/truck will be a big
> deal. Some
> of them may try to achieve this with diesel, but I think we will be
> seeing
> more GDI and stratified combustion control efforts to push gas to
> meet CAFE
> requirements rather than trying to clean up diesels enough to do
> the job. My
> sense is this is less expensive to begin with, and no consumer re-
> education
> is required either.  So you know how that will go if it is the case.
>
> Jim Akiba
>