Why Are Many Diesel Cars Not Available in the U.S.?

With all the talk today about fuel efficiency and reducingemissions, you would think that more diesel powered cars would be available forpurchase in the United States. Along with O2 Sensors, Air Fuel Ratio Sensors, and newultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, new diesel cars are not only very clean but getexcellent gas mileage.  So why don’t wesee more of them?

Diesel powered cars are popular around the globe, especiallyin Europe where diesel gas is often less expensive. There are many European carmakers that produce diesel cars for their European markets, but they seldommake it to U.S. shores. This is mostly due to automakers reluctance to bringdiesel cars to the U.S. because of low demand. 

2012 VW Passat

Diesel cars do not have the best reputation in America. Twentyyears ago (or more), diesels were noisy, clunky, and produced a thick cloud ofsmoke whenever you pressed down on the gas pedal. They also rarely passedemissions testing, especially in ultra-strict California. Today’s diesels areworlds apart from their ancestors, but the poor qualities associated with thempersist in public minds. 

In addition to already poor attitudes toward diesels, thegreat qualities of new generation diesels are often overlooked. Despite gettingsimilar gas mileage and often better emissions than hybrid vehicles, it’susually the hybrid sector that gets the most press for being green.  This is in spite of the fact that thebatteries used in hybrid vehicles are full of toxic and carcinogenic materialsthat are downright hazardous to obtain. Chalk it up to good marketing on behalfof the hybrid car industry, and a lack of marketing dollars spent on pimpingdiesel cars as the new ultra-green hybrid alternative.

2012 Audi Q7 TDI

The last major obstacle in an increased demand for dieselcars here is the heavier tax levied on diesel fuel. Typically the price ofgasoline is about 18% federal and state taxes – with diesel fuel it’s about25%. This is due to outdated tax code and results in higher prices for dieselfuel at the pump: although owners may get much better gas mileage, they arestill paying more per gallon. This can offset thebenefit of fuel efficiency to the consumer.

With gas prices soaring, public attitudes are beginning tocome around. In 2012 VW released the Passat, Jetta, and Golf TDI, BMW releasedboth 3 Series diesels and the X5 XDrive 35d, and Audi released the A3 TDI andQ7 TDI.  If this trend continues we mayget a decent selection of diesel engines available in the U.S., and if we’relucky, new legislation to make taxes on diesel vs gasoline more fair. Withgreater awareness of the benefits plus some serious marketing push byautomakers, more diesel-powered cars can definitely be in our future.

Green Hybrid.. Military Vehicles?

When you typically think of "green" in the auto industry, things like O2 Sensor, oxygen sensors, and hybrid cars like the Toyota Pruis come to mind. I bet the last thing you would think of is the Army's all-terrain Clandestine Extended Range Vehicle (CERV), and yet here it is:

The advantage of going hybrid on a vehicle like this is not only to save gas (getting gas in the field in Afghanistan can cost upwards of $400/gallon... think about that next time you're at the pump); this vehicle can also run in silent (fully electric) mode for up to 8 miles. Combined with it's diesel engine it maintains the ability to go up 60 degree grades and reach a top speed of 80mph.

These capabilities make it extremely versatile: running a diesel engine at 3am isn't the best way to go unnoticed in stealth operations. The silent mode on this vehicle can sneak up on terrorists faster than a Prius when you step into the crosswalk. Plus there is admittedly some novelty to having a giant machine gun mounted to the top of a hybrid vehicle.

Fiskar Karma hybrid-electric vehicle.

This vehicle is part of a larger effort to save money and help the environment without sacrificing power and usability for soldiers in the field. It is being produced by Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide (QTWW), the company that makes the Q-Drive, the 400 hp drive train of the Fisker Karma. If you  haven't heard of the Fisker Karma, here's a few details to fill you in: a claimed total range of 300 miles (483 km), the first 50 miles (80 km) of which is on tailpipe-emission free electric-only charge, and it looks absolutely amazing.

There was a time where it was difficult to even get pictures of CERV's, but as the Army has entered one to be on display at the Chicago Auto Show it seems the times are changing. The 25% better fuel economy this hybrid offers not only saves money, but enables military personnel to go longer without filling up. Time will tell if these become a permanent installation in the military, but it certainly seems a step in the right direction to save money and increase utility for today's soldiers.

Ugly Electric Cars

When it comes to environmentally friendly and my car, the onlything I do is make sure I pass emissions. That means having 02 sensors and catalytic converters that work. I wouldlove to do my part and buy an electric car but, come on… have you seen thosethings?


Electric cars have always looked like they drove down the ugly driveway,and ran over every crack on the way down. Car designers usually state that thelooks are due to making the cars as aerodynamic as possible. This might betrue, but I am sure they think about aerodynamics with every car and they don’tend up looking like these awful things.  Let’stake an ugly trip through the history of electric cars.

PAST: It started with the EV1 back in 1996.  GM was brave enough to be the first largeautomaker to design an electric car, but that does not mean they should have.  The most hideous aspect of the EV1 is theback end.  The covered rear wheels andthe shape of the trunk make it look a Sudafed. I don’t know whether I am supposed to drive it, or take two in themorning.

PRESENT: The most popular electric car is theToyota Prius, but it did not avoid the ugly electric car genes. Some of you areprobably saying to yourselves, “The Prius is not that bad!” Quit it, you arefooling yourself.  Take another look atit. A Prius looks like a Civic’s ugly little brother. Somehow the Prius hasgotten past this.  It has reached thelevel of being so ugly it is cute, like a Pug. (Note: The Honda Fit is also ugly because it looks just like a Prius)

FUTURE: GM wants back in the hideous electriccar race.  They have been displaying theChevrolet EN-V around the globe at auto shows. EN-V stands for, Electric Networked-Vehicle.  I actually don’t know if I can call thisthing an ugly car, because it looks more like a helmet than a vehicle.  Every time I see it I think of Master Chieffrom the video game Halo.  I wonder ifyou drive the thing with an X-Box controller instead of a steering wheel.