Cleaner Fuel To Spur Diesel Auto Revival
by Ken Thomas
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) - Diesel engines mainly power trucks, buses and construction equipment in the U.S., and they have long been scorned by environmentalists concerned about air pollution.
That dirty image is changing, however, and could spark renewed interest in diesel-powered passenger vehicles.
The auto industry is already transitioning to more advanced engine systems as new rules go into effect on Sunday that require fuel makers to produce a much cleaner diesel that is largely sulfur-free.
At first, these so-called ultra-low sulfur diesel regulations will mostly affect users of heavy-duty engines that are the workhorses of U.S. industry. But automotive executives say it may not be long before soccer moms across America are driving with diesel.
"It's a proven technology," said Sten-Ake Aronsson, a senior vice president at Volvo Powertrain's plant in Hagerstown, where production of heavy-duty diesel engines has more than doubled - to 300 a day - in the past two years.
Next January, automakers will roll out engine systems equipped with exhaust-scrubbing technologies that work in tandem with the cleaner fuel to reduce soot and smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions.
Diesel engines are popular worldwide in commercial vehicles and among heavy-duty pickup drivers because of their power and fuel economy - they are typically 20 to 30 percent more efficient than conventional gasoline engines. That greater efficiency also makes diesel quite attractive to ordinary drivers in Europe, where fuel taxes are much higher than in the U.S. and diesel-powered cars make up half the passenger-vehicle market.
But the image problem has been hard to shake in the U.S., where drivers have memories of smelly, noisy and smoky diesels from the 1980s, when their reliability and environmental attributes were questioned.
"For mainstream buyers, people who are buying cars, there's a real stigma there that still hangs over them," said Erich Merkle, director of forecasting for auto consulting firm IRN Inc.
That stigma is gradually fading, though.
J.D. Power & Associates expects the U.S. market for diesels to grow from 3.6 percent this year, or about 600,000 vehicles, to about 9 percent in 2013, or 1.66 million vehicles. By 2015, they project diesels to have a 12 percent market share, or 2.2 million vehicles.
Significant hurdles exist. Automakers will need to overcome a price premium, which can be more than $1,000 for passenger cars to about $4,000 for trucks, and tough emissions standards in states such as California and New York. But the industry has indicated interest.
Volkswagen AG, which currently leads the U.S. market in diesel passenger vehicles, plans to introduce diesel versions in 2008 that will meet emissions standards in all 50 states. The automaker currently offers Jetta and Beetle sedans with diesel engines.
DaimlerChrysler AG this fall will debut BLUETEC diesel technology on the 2007 Mercedes E 320 sedan with traps for nitrogen oxide. The vehicle will meet emissions standards in 45 states but not the five where diesels aren't currently sold because of tighter standards: California, Massachusetts, Maine, New York and Vermont.
The automaker plans to offer an upgraded BLUETEC technology in 2008 in Mercedes ML, GL and R-Class models in all 50 states, featuring a system that injects ammonia to turn the nitrogen oxide into harmless elements. DaimlerChrysler also sells a diesel-version Jeep Liberty.
Ford Motor Co. offers several diesel heavy-duty pickups, such as the F-250 and 350 pickups, and are planning to make it available in the popular F-150. Timing has not been announced.
General Motors Corp. offers several diesel heavy-duty trucks and is planning to offer diesel versions of light-duty pickups after 2009. And Honda Motor Co. has said it plans to introduce a diesel vehicle within three years capable of meeting California's emissions standards.
The influx of ultra-low sulfur diesel, which will be fully in place by 2010, is enhancing automakers' interest. The latest diesel fuel emits only 15 parts per million of sulfur compared with 500 parts per million that was been used since 1993. While the EPA has estimated it will be about 4 cents to 5 cents more expensive, the fuel is expected to lead to lower maintenance costs, a longer life for the engine and offer environmental benefits.
"Diesel is the invisible force that moves the American economy, but until now it has also been a big polluter," said Richard Kassel, who leads the Natural Resources Defense Council's clean fuels and vehicles project. Kassel said the combination of the new fuel with energy-efficient engines "will mean healthier air and reduce our dependence on oil."
EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said in a conference call with reporters this week that the fuel rollout represented "the single greatest achievement in clean fuel since lead was removed from gasoline more than 25 years ago."
In January, the EPA will require commercial engines to meet more stringent emissions standards, a benchmark that will be further increased to nearly zero-free emissions by 2010. The more efficient engines need the fuels to be nearly sulfur-free to avoid hurting the performance of the emissions-control technology.
"Ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel is the great enabler. Without this, everything else is moot," said David McKenna, product manager for marketing for Mack Engines, Transmissions and Axles, part of the Volvo Group.
David Friedman, research director for the Clean Vehicles Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the cleaner diesels do not represent a "silver bullet" but offer an opportunity, along with hybrids and other clean, fuel-efficient technologies, to make improvements.
"By 2010, we may be able to have a legitimate choice - "Do I want a gasoline vehicle or a diesel vehicle?" - and both could get higher fuel economy, lead to less global warming and not have to sacrifice public health," Friedman said.
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On the Net:
Volvo Group: www.volvo.com/group/global/en-gb
Diesel Technology Forum: www.dieselforum.org
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