Diesel Vehicle Offerings Poised To Expand

Diesel powered vehicles have never been popular in the US, despite previous attempts to promote this technology by leading manufacturers. Indeed, many motorists recall GM’s failed bid to market diesel engines during the late 1970s to mid 1980s as a big reason to stay away from diesels. As you may recall, GM had to recall and replace the engines as they were plagued with crankshaft bearing problems. Many motorists cited other problems too including, blown head gaskets, warped heads, and bad fuel injectors. A well publicized class action suit against GM shut down the company’s diesel program and resulted in GM replacing thousands of diesel engines with gasoline engines. Despite the earlier problems, many automakers are now poised to offer diesel engines as engineering changes have made diesels much more reliable and environmentally friendly. Let’s take a look at the diesel engines powering current and future vehicles traversing America’s highways.

Mercedes Diesels – With five diesel models offered, Mercedes is leading the way. Its 3.2L 24-valve inline-6 diesel engine powers the E320, resulting in fuel savings of up to 30% and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Dodge Trucks – Cummins has been producing turbo diesels for Dodge Ram trucks for years. The current 610 model offers best in class horsepower, excellent torque, and terrific towing capacity.

Jeep Liberty – Using Mercedes technology, the Jeep Liberty common-rail diesel powering some models helps to boost torque by 45% and bump up fuel mileage by about one third. The Liberty diesel has been a strong seller for the Jeep brand.

Volkswagen – Mentioning “diesel” and omitting “Volkswagen” would be a travesty. Indeed, the German automaker is one of the largest producers of diesel engines in the world. For the U.S. market, a 1.9L four cylinder powers the cars while a humongous ten cylinder diesel can be found in the Touareg, the automaker’s luxury SUV.

Honda – New to the game, Honda is promising that diesel versions of several of its cars will be made available by 2009. Along with its hybrid emphasis, Honda is pushing diesels to bolster its already well earned “green” image.

BMW, Range Rover, Ford, GM, and Chrysler all offer diesels although with the first two they are only sold in Europe. Ford taps Navistar for its big diesels while GM uses Duramax, a joint venture between it and Isuzu.

Smaller diesels have yet to grab hold, but that may all change. Talk of smaller, lighter diesels built for American cars have been circulating for years with joint ventures involving Isuzu, Honda, VW, and Mercedes mentioned as possibilities.

Demand for diesels is increasing as fuel prices continue to surge. Auto registration records are indicating that diesel purchases have doubled in the past five years alone. With cleaner technology in place and all of the kinks worked out, consumers can be expected to demand diesels in greater numbers. This is good news for those who are concerned about America’s over dependence on foreign oil.

Gas & Diesel Prices Are On a Constant Rise - What Can We Do About It?

You can hear it from among any corner of circle nowadays, the rising cost of fuel is one of the most discussed topics anywhere. Not only are fuel prices getting higher but basically anything that is consumable is going up with it. It is impacting almost anything that has to be transported by truck (and what doesn't?) from a bag of flour to a box of baby diapers. Grocery has gone up 10 to 35 percent within the past year. Rising gas prices are hurting us all.

The prices keep climbing & diesel seems to be even more expensive than gasoline these days. Diesel was always cheaper to refine than gasoline but now the so called experts are claiming that it is more expensive to refine. Diesel also allows for better mileage than gasoline. Go figure.

Inflation is definitely rising & the price of diesel is the main reason for it. It is creating a domino effect throughout the world; Trucking companies have to pay more so they naturally have to charge more to stay in business. Manufacturers & shipping companies have to pick up the bill & then end up charging the retail chains more. The retailers end up having to jack up our all of their prices & guess who picks up the tab in the end? Well you, me & maybe even Dupree has to. Consumers are always at the low end of the totem pole.

Can we do anything about all of these price hikes you may be wandering?

No, not really.

You can't do anything about the rising costs but you can do the following 2 things:

1. Cut back on your consumption.

Or

2. Increase your income.

Let's face it folks. All we can do is complain about it. We can complain to our friends, family & even the government. That is like preaching to the choir. I recommend saving your energy fighting this issue because there is really no point. You will have to either downsize your spending & economize or somehow increase your income. Here are some examples in economizing:

1. Trade in your nice big gas guzzling but beautiful SUV for a Hyundai.

2. Buy less grocery or other consumable items.

3. Car pool.

4. Rent out your basement.

This is basically cutting back on all the costs of keeping your current lifestyle & settling for less than what you deserve.

I know this doesn't sound very nice but hey everyone is doing it, why shouldn't you?

I would much rather follow Robert Kiyosaki's advice in his recent book "Why We Want You To Be Rich" that he co wrote with Donald Trump. The main message in this book was if you can't beat them then join them. If you can not do anything about inflation & have to choose between being rich or poor, then choose to be rich.

There are always different methods to increase your income. You can always put in some more overtime at work or even get an additional part-time job. While these methods can help increase your active income, I don't think that was their intention for you when they released that book. Here are some methods for increasing your income:

1. Passive or Residual Income. This is where you can make income from real estate rental property or limited partnership etc. This type of income doesn't require extra man hours (labouring) on your part but will provide you with an additional income stream. This is leverage.

2. Portfolio Income. This is additional income that you earn from investing, trading, stocks & bonds etc.

It will take money to make money. Yes you will have to spend a little more to make more or accept having to work longer hours at work for less family or leisure time.

The rising costs of fuel is definitely taking its toll on most consumers these days but not for everyone. Many will find new possibilities for themselves. One person will see this situation as a problem while another will be forced to become creative & see an idea or solution. The emphasis is placed highly on creativity.

Remember that in every dark cloud there is a silver lining.

This situation will have an impact on you whether you choose to believe it or not. The real question is what are you going to do about it?

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The Future of the Diesel Fueling Industry

In the past twenty years, diesel engines have the connotations of pollution, heavy machinery, and uncomfortably loud noises. This image that many people have is beginning to take a turn for the change as several automakers are reinventing the diesel engine with remarkable results. Nearly 25 years ago, General Motors unveiled diesel powered Chevrolet Caprices and a few Oldsmobile models. These cars soon became the center of attention as the diesel engines were shaky, unreliable, and a total nightmare for the consumer. General Motors backed itself into a corner and paid a hefty amount to outfit the vehicles sold with new gasoline engines. Ever since the 'diesel disaster' as some automotive enthusiasts have come to call it, diesel engines have taken a back seat to many consumers' minds. General Motors failure in the 80s combined with increasing efforts to clean up the air and minimize pollution while maximizing engine efficiency pushed the diesel engine back years, but at the same time allowed it to be reinvented and instituted in an entire new way.

European car makers were among the largest importers of diesel engine cars and remain so today. Mercedes and Volkswagen were the largest of the importers and the success they have been experiencing has not gone unseen. There was a large dip in the number of these cars over a decade ago, but the diesel is reemerging as an efficient, cost-effective, and super reliable means of powering any car and not just a truck. Diesel engines have been implemented in sports cars, luxury vehicles, and even small cars such as Honda Civics and Chevrolet's Geo.

Chrysler has been trying diesel engines within its Jeep division and has seen great results, along with Ford who has been dabbling into pushing diesels into the smaller caliber vehicles such as the Taurus and Focus. What makes the new diesel engine system so attractive is the combination of a much improved fuel mileage, higher torque output, and an extremely reliable engine. Also, with the cost of diesel fuel often being cheaper than regular unleaded, it would cost less to fill up. As mentioned earlier, diesel engines are much more reliable than most gasoline engines. However a well taken care of diesel engine will often run for hundreds of thousands of miles longer than a gasoline engine.

Within five or ten years, the number of vehicles using diesel engines will likely jump a great deal and dominate a good portion of the automotive market. Asian automakers including Isuzu, Toyota, and Nissan are upping their investments in the North American auto industry, and the overseas car industry has been experimenting and implementing diesel engines longer than the United States. As the number of these imported cars increase, so will the likelihood of these automobiles running on diesel fuel.

A Look At Gas Trucks Versus Diesel Trucks

If you plan to use your truck like a car, desiring quick, quiet acceleration and rarely ever haul a heavy load and don't plan to it for a long time,you may want a gasoline engine. Gas engines run smoother, fuel is easier to find, and gas engines
start easier in cold weather.

If you plan to use your truck for towing, value good fuel economy and plan to put plenty of miles on it, you may want a diesel. The price to buy a diesel truck is really high, although they can offer you a lot in return.

Below, you'll find the leading vehicle manufacturers
and what they offer you.

Dodge

The 2500 and 3500 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty trucks are the newest 3/4 and 1 ton trucks on the road. Back in 2002, the Ram didn't have enough power with the 245 HP 9.5L. Dodge promised more powerful engines for the 2500/3500 platform and they delivered on that promise.

The new base engine is the 5.7L gasoline V-8 that's not only the most powerful engine of the group at 345 HP but also revives the well known and historical Hemi name.

Ford

Ford helped push the 3/4 ton and 1 ton truck market to where it is today when it introduced it's international engineered power stroke diesel back in 1994. Before 1994, these diesels were poorly built and no match for the big gasoline engines.

From 1994 to 2002, over 70% of super duty Fords were sold with the optional 7.3L V-8 diesel engine. This engine helped to put Ford among the leaders in diesel trucks, as they had more than they needed to dominate the market.

Chevrolet/GMC

The GM 2500/3500 twins Silverado HD and Sierra HD both come standard with GM's 6.0L gas engine V-8. This engine is ideal for 3/4 ton trucks where towing isn't a concern. The upgrades start with the 8.1L gas V-8 that's based on Chevrolet's venerable big block engine.

Over the years, diesel trucks have proven to be effecient with mileage, great for towing, and easy on maintenance. Unlike gas engines, diesel engines do not have spark plugs, which means you won't need to get them tuned up near as much as gasoline engines.

For those who like to haul heavy loads on a frequent basis, diesel is the way to go. You can get quite a few miles per gallon, and diesel trucks are built to go 250,000 miles or more before the engine needs to be rebuit,making them a purchase that is more than worth your money.

Diesel vs Regular Gasoline - Which is Better for the Environment?

With the implementation of alternative fuel sources on the minds of many, diesel is now under the microscope more than ever. Although diesel-powered vehicles have been around for a long time, gasoline is still the primary fuel source for most North American vehicles. Why has diesel not been used as a fuel source in more vehicles? Which is better for the environment? These are questions that are being asked more frequently as the search for alternative fuels is weighing heavily on more people's minds.

Gasoline vs. Diesel

It turns out that gasoline is more volatile than diesel, not because of what its base consists of, but because of the additives it contains. In addition, vehicles that use diesel tend to be more fuel-efficient and produce less greenhouse gases. In that respect, diesel is more environmentally friendly. Diesel actually produces 15% more in greenhouse gases than gasoline when compared by the litre rather than the gallon. Yet it is through the 20-40% improvement in fuel economy over gasoline that offsets the higher emissions per litre. In actuality, the carbon dioxide emissions are considerably less than gasoline, but diesel does contain 2,778 grams of carbon per gallon, whereas gasoline contains 2,421 grams per gallon. But, again, it is the fuel economy of diesel that accounts for the smaller rate of carbon emissions.

Then again, diesel fuel contains larger quantities of sulfur. The United States has what is considered to be the dirtiest diesel, but as of June 1, 2010 this is going to be different. U.S. diesel fuel has a lower measure of ignition quality. This means that when it is cold outside, ignition performance is poor and can result in higher emissions. This is why you see truck drivers idling their trucks all night long in cold weather rather than risk a troublesome start in the mornings.

But, the sulfur in the diesel that is emitted during cold ignitions and long engine idling is still harmful to the environment because the sulfurs prevent the control of diesel particulate emissions through diesel particulate filters. This is changing, though, since new advanced technologies such as nitrogen oxide absorbers are being developed to reduce these emissions.

As for gasoline, it is the non-aliphatic hydrocarbons as well as carcinogenic additives that avoid engine-knocking that threaten the public's health and the environment. This exposure happens in the case of gasoline leaks and then, of course, there are the carbon emissions we hear a lot about. Leaks occur when trucks begin leaking the gasoline they are carrying, storage containers are not stored properly, and from motor vehicle leakage. The harmful additives in gasoline can get into groundwater and contaminate public water supplies.

However, Dieselization is becoming a more common use of diesel as a fuel in motor vehicles, although it is determined that both diesel and gasoline have harmful effects on the environment. When we look at the carbon emissions of both, we find that diesel will emit more per gallon (or litre), but when you look at how much you have to fill the fuel tank with diesel versus how much you have to fill with gasoline, you will find that the percentage of emissions is offset for diesel, which can be friendlier on the pocketbook. On the other hand, sulfur is emitted by diesel and diesel does not perform as well in cold weather as gasoline, so until 2010 when diesel is cleaned up, gasoline may be slightly more environmentally friendly than diesel in respect to the emissions from automobiles. As for ground contamination, diesel has an edge over gasoline in keeping our world clean.