One of the biggest trends at this week’s International Auto Show in Detroit is fuel efficiency. More companies are working on new technology that will help consumers lower their gas bills. “I think we’re a year or so away from every single major segment having alternative powered technology,” says Larry Dominique, executive vice president at TrueCar.com. More hybrids, plug-ins and clean diesel models have been introduced or are on the way. “You are seeing this rapid growth of these technologies and I think the cost is starting to come down.” Dominique says one big reason why demand for gas is falling is because new cars and trucks are more fuel efficient, leading to “348 million fewer gallons of gasoline used in 2012 versus 2011 for the same number of miles driven.”

 

Yeah, because by year soon to come, every car made in the USA has to meet 54mpg standard.

 

The trend that made the news here from the Detroit show was diesels. It is apparently the next thing coming. My last car was a Mazda 3 and to date has been the best car I have ever owned. When I first started to look for a bigger car to replace it, I naturally looked at the Mazda 6. However, just couldn't find a good reason to buy one, and few reasons not to.

Now I see the Mazda 6 is going to be available with a diesel engine in mid 2013. In general diesels are claimed to get about 30% better gas mileage than a conventional gas engine. Will be interesting to see how well they sell.

 

I found this link from NBC news. After reading the article I figure it's 12 years to go to meet the 54.5 mpg rule by 2025. If this holds true we will be seeing lots more hybrids and battery powered cars. The possibility of smaller bodied cars to make them lighter for higher gas mileage. It would be hard for me to go back to a compact car after driving the mid-sized Camry TCH for 6 years.

Just a guess that gasoline prices may double to make up for half the gallons being used by 2025.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/new-...perates-970053

 

I recall we went through this once before in the 1970's. Manufacturers dropped bigger engines and cars, and pushed smaller ones to bring the average fuel consumption down. It is a bit of a game they play. I think at the end of the day oil prices will be the only true driver of change. We've just gone through a high period, but I'm not sure it will continue. We paid as much as $1.40 a liter in parts of Canada last summer. Currently it is in the mid $.80's a liter. If it continues, the appetite for high mpg may back off again, as it has before. Long term oil price trend in 2008 dollars (orange line). It is not new enough to show the most recent drop.

 

I fear oil will only go higher. The newer sources of oil are only sensible when the price per barrel is higher than it was in the day of $2 gasoline. In the long run higher mileage vehicles will make great sense.

Diesel is a good choice but keep in mind one gets fewer gallons per barrel of oil than with gasoline. Despite the old days, diesel will probably be priced higher than gasonline for that reason. Time will tell, of course.

 

My biggest reservation with Diesel is the relative price to Regular unleaded that is .60$/gal higher - and with some stations, the spread is even worse. This eliminates significant parts of the claimed 30% consumption advantage that Diesel vehicles have over comparable-power gasoline ICE-only vehicle. And Diesel-only vehicles are still pretty lame in the stop-and-go drive cycle relative to a hybrid - that's the cost of throwing away the energy as brake heat.

I'd expect that the historical appeal in Europe has had more to do with the tax structure - Diesel has typically enjoyed a tax break that reduced its at-the-pump price relative to gasoline, and that has helped overlook the negatives of higher pollution (particulates and NOx) and NVH.

Now, over the years, the relative prices have varied from parity to considerable price premium that Diesel fuel commands today - but at current pricing, Diesel-burning vehicles are less compelling when the price of fuel is factored in. Add in other items - like the urea additive many require, and the typical NVH penalty, and the value prop becomes even more dicey.

 

Many years ago diesel fuel was cheaper than gasoline because it was a by-product of gasoline production. The oil companies sold it cheaper just to get some additional revenue after they got as much gasoline as they could from a barrel of oil.

Today, refining techniques have improved. Diesel is no longer a by-product to be sold to earn a few extra dollars from a barrel of oil. A gallon of diesel actually requires more oil to product than a gallon of gasoline. A gallon of diesel has more energy in it than a gallon of gasoline. It makes sense that diesel will cost more for these reasons. Still diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline engines so they still are more economical of fuel, assuming the pricing of both is 'fair'.

Hybrid powered cars tilt the table towards gasoline. They offset the increased efficiency of the diesel engine by storing and using gasoline power that would otherwise be wasted. And hybrids use a more efficient combustion process - the Atkinson method - to increase efficiency.

Which is better? That is an individual choice. In either case we will be better off with more efficient power plants. One visit to on oil kingdom in the middle east will help you see what our oil dollars are buying for other people. Imagine if we kept more of that wealth at home.

 

We did a winter vacation in Cuba in December, and learned a few things we did not pick up last time. First, those old American cars from the 50's that they still drive, are virtually all converted to diesel engines. We were told that diesel costs them 30-50% of what gasoline costs. New cars are typically diesels as well. We were also told that Cuba produces about 80% of their oil needs. A Canadian company, Sherritt, has been investing in oil production. However, I'm not really sure that that means, as that country has a totally messed up economic system that is out of touch with the rest of the world. Gasoline seems a bit expensive and is higher priced than Canada. However in Canada diesel costs very close to the same as gasoline, and diesel in Cuba seems ridiculously cheap. They must be subsidizing it, or not taxing it. Or, there is a big surplus of it created by the country demand, and their refining methods -- they could very well be antiquated. Farm machinery is almost non existent, and oxen are the common source of farm power.

 

Not exactly. That is a fleet average. Excludes trucks over a certain weight, commercial vehicles, etc.