Is the diesel going to end up going the way of the dinosaur?

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

4x4ord wrote:
Tougher emission standards

With the new DI turbocharged gasoline engine technology yielding incredible power and efficiency working in favor of the gasoline engine's future and the difficulties the diesel faces in meeting tougher emission standards I am beginning to wonder whether the diesel will survive.

With 30% better mileage Diesel will be around forever. Most people have no idea how much fuel a turbocharged high power gasoline can burn in a high HP demand situation. Or even a high HP N/A engine for that matter. The car I drive puts out around 750 HP to the wheels and gets around 1/2 mile per gallon on straight gasoline at WOT. :E It doesn't matter if the engine is turbocharged or not. If you need that amount of HP the engine will use the corresponding amount of gasoline. In fact, turbocharged engines are worse on fuel power for power.

HP for HP, a gasoline engine will burn about 30% more fuel than a diesel. That's a BUNCH! Most of that has to do with the type of fuel burnt instead of the design of the engine. When a fuel has a lot more energy content per gallon (BTU's) that is a BIG advantage. If you want to really burn a bunch of fuel just fill your TV up with E85 and see what happens! :E You'll be in for a rude awakening! :B

Diesel has about 12% more energy, by volume, than gasoline. By unit weight gasoline actually contains more energy than diesel does. When you consider the lost diesel fuel burnt in the DPF and the cost of eurea the diesel is loosing its advantage. Gasoline engines, on the other hand, are gaining efficiency with technology such as DI and higher cylinder pressures.

thomasmnile wrote:

qtla9111 wrote:

billyray50 wrote:
No....Got nothing to do with whatever Administration is in place.

What does it have to do with then?

I'm not kicking off a political rant, just making an observation. The EPA of the previous administration in Washington gave an ear to the California Air Resources Board when formulating EPA and policy and regulations the last 8 years, for better or worse. Recall that CARB was in business long before the Federal EPA. And interestingly, it was Ronald Reagan that signed the California legislation into law that created CARB.

What I meant was Diesel is not going anywhere.. It is life blood of this country.

4x4ord wrote:
Tougher emission standards

With the new DI turbocharged gasoline engine technology yielding incredible power and efficiency working in favor of the gasoline engine's future and the difficulties the diesel faces in meeting tougher emission standards I am beginning to wonder whether the diesel will survive.

With 30% better mileage Diesel will be around forever. Most people have no idea how much fuel a turbocharged high power gasoline can burn in a high HP demand situation. Or even a high HP N/A engine for that matter. The car I drive puts out around 750 HP to the wheels and gets around 1/2 mile per gallon on straight gasoline at WOT. :E It doesn't matter if the engine is turbocharged or not. If you need that amount of HP the engine will use the corresponding amount of gasoline. In fact, turbocharged engines are worse on fuel power for power.

HP for HP, a gasoline engine will burn about 30% more fuel than a diesel. That's a BUNCH! Most of that has to do with the type of fuel burnt instead of the design of the engine. When a fuel has a lot more energy content per gallon (BTU's) that is a BIG advantage. If you want to really burn a bunch of fuel just fill your TV up with E85 and see what happens! :E You'll be in for a rude awakening! :B

This is the new administration's ideas for the next four years. That's why I said that the new administration will keep diesel going.

Make America energy independent, create millions of new jobs, and protect clean air and clean water. We will conserve our natural habitats, reserves and resources. We will unleash an energy revolution that will bring vast new wealth to our country.

Unleash America’s $50 trillion in untapped shale, oil, and natural gas reserves, plus hundreds of years in clean coal reserves.

Declare American energy dominance a strategic economic and foreign policy goal of the United States.

qtla9111 wrote:

billyray50 wrote:
No....Got nothing to do with whatever Administration is in place.

What does it have to do with then?

I'm not kicking off a political rant, just making an observation. The EPA of the previous administration in Washington gave an ear to the California Air Resources Board when formulating EPA and policy and regulations the last 8 years, for better or worse. Recall that CARB was in business long before the Federal EPA. And interestingly, it was Ronald Reagan that signed the California legislation into law that created CARB.

billyray50 wrote:
No....Got nothing to do with whatever Administration is in place.

What does it have to do with then?

gbopp wrote:
I can't see a solar powered locomotive pulling a 6000 ton+ train being practical anytime soon.

Aren't most diesel locomotives just large versions of an electric train that provides its own power plant? If true, one only has to replace the diesel powered generator with another one.

4x4ord wrote:
Torque has little to do with it. Gears or electric motors can produce torque. Diesel engines power big equipment because they have traditionally been more fuel efficient than gasoline engines.

People like to talk about their large torque numbers, but horsepower is the measure of work that an engine can do.

Torque has little to do with it. Gears or electric motors can produce torque. Diesel engines power big equipment because they have traditionally been more fuel efficient than gasoline engines. That is changing. The new 1.5 liter turbocharged Honda Civic is able to do 0-60 in 6.8 seconds and achieve 43 mpg. Even prior to the strict emission laws I'm not aware of a diesel that could attain that kind of performance and economy.

I can't see a solar powered locomotive pulling a 6000 ton+ train being practical anytime soon.

Diesel trucks and trains move our economy. They're not going anywhere in the near future.