The Clean Diesel Technology Tour to Come to Sacramento

The recent increase in gasoline prices have forced car buyers and the automotive industry to look for more fuel efficient alternatives. One alternative fuel which has captured the attention of the auto industry is diesel.

Diesel, as a fuel, costs less than gasoline and can prove to be one temporary solution for the United States to become energy independent. For years, diesel engines have suffered from a bad reputation due to the huge amount of soot that a diesel engine gives off. But continued development in the auto industry led to cleaner diesel engines which provide even more power than the previous generations of diesel engines while producing lesser pollutants. In fact, some diesel engines have been proven to produce relatively lower greenhouse gas than some gasoline engines.

The continued popularity of diesel engines has led the Diesel Technology Forum to organize the Clean Diesel Technology Tour. The Diesel Technology Forum is an association of different companies which manufactures diesel engines, engine components, fuel, and emissions control systems. The organization is working to promoter the use of diesel engines in the hope that they will be making a difference for the environment.

In their effort to encourage consumers to use diesel engined vehicles, The Clean Diesel Technology Tour was organized and it will be the biggest event of its kind as it will host a huge number of attendees. Different personalities in the development of clean diesel technologies will be present along with vehicles equipped with clean diesel engines. The event will also be attended by environmentalists, manufacturers and legislators. The tour will take place at the Sacramento Convention Center on the 19th of April this year.

The event will open with a press conference which would be graced by the presence of Allan Schaeffer who is the Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum. Aside from Schaeffer, other executives from ember companies will also be present at the press conference which will start at 9:00 in the morning. After the press conference, exhibitors will then present their developed vehicles, engines, or technologies.

After the presentation and luncheon, attendees will be given the chance to get to take that spot behind the wheel of some of the vehicles displayed at the event. The event will features keynote speakers from the government. Senator Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) is one of the keynote speakers during the event. The legislator is one of the leading advocates of port emission reductions.

Dan Skopec, the undersecretary of the California Environment Protection Agency, will also be speaking at the event. Skopec is also Governor Schwarzenegger’s point person on California’s effort to promote the use of low-carbon fuel. The undersecretary will be speaking about the Governor’s take on global warming and what he thinks the problems that needs to be addressed by the auto industry.

The event of course will host the showcase of different technologies developed by different companies. Banks Power, a producer of aftermarket engine-power systems for large vehicles equipped with diesel engines, will be present at the event. Gale Banks, the founder and the president of the company will present their developed technologies which are concerned about the amount of air that enters the combustion chamber of the engines.

Caterpillar, “the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines” will also be presenting their developments at the event. Douglas Oberhelman, the Group President of Caterpillar, will be the company’s presenter at the event.

For Cummins, a leading manufacturer of diesel engines, Edward Pence will present their developments in the clean diesel engine technology. Pence is the Vice President for Engine Business of the company.

Aside from these companies, the event will also be attended by other companies specializing on diesel engines.

The event will also allow attendees to ride and drive several vehicles equipped with clean diesel engines. Some of the vehicles which will be showcased at the event are the Audi A6, the BMW 535d, and a Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI with Bluetec. These vehicles are not only known for the stylish looks of their fenders and other exterior styling concepts but are also proven to be environmentally friendly.

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.