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Clean Diesels make the grade.

The National Academy of Sciences – National Research Council’s independent review panel on technologies to meet new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) Standards issued an interim letter February 14 to Nicole Nason, Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration outlining preliminary assessment of technologies and potential fuel economy benefits. 

“The motivation for including light-duty diesel technology in the new report stems from the fact that the light duty diesel vehicles in production and in widespread use in Europe have already demonstrated a 30-40% reduction in fuel consumption, depending on engine size, compared with 2007 model-year gasoline engines.  In addition, the emissions performance of diesel vehicles have improved.

Recent developments in NOx after-treatment systems further improve the prospects for diesel light-duty vehicles. Production vehicles using improved after-treatment systems have proved able to meet the U.S. emissions regulations.

With regards to all-electric or fuel cell vehicles … “the committee does not expect commercialization of fuel cell vehicles or widespread marketing of all-electric vehicles before 2020.”  the Committee noted.

A final report is expected late spring 2008, and will provide further guidance to NHTSA which is required to establish the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standard s under the new Energy Bill signed into Law by President Bush in December 2007.

First convened in 2001 the panel originally did not incorporate diesels nor hybrid technology on the list of available technologies to reduce fuel consumption.    Hybrids were left out because they were a niche technology at the time and diesels were not formally included because of the uncertainty of the ability to meet the Tier II emissions standards. 

For a list of diesel product announcements click here.

2008 North American International Auto Show announcements

News:  AutoWeek story