Testing of two popular Euro 6d-temp diesels by Ricardo, commissioned by the environmental NGO Transport & Environment (T&E), has found that the periodic regeneration of diesel particulate filters (DPFs) in the light-duty vehicles can generate spikes of particulate emissions of more than 1,000 times the normal rate. This results in... Read more →
Researchers at EPFL have patented a new concept that could cut trucks’ CO2 emissions by almost 90%. The EPFL system captures CO2 directly in the trucks’ exhaust system and liquefies it in a box on the vehicle’s roof. The liquid CO2 would then be delivered to a service station and... Read more →
The Government of Sweden has launched a study to offer proposals on how to implement a ban on sales of new gasoline and diesel cars, and the timeline for the phase-out of fossil fuels. The final report is to be presented by 1 February 2021. Sven Hunhammar will chair the... Read more →
A novel oxygenate molecule that can be produced from biomass shows promise for use as a blend for diesel fuel, according to researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Their paper is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The NREL scientists, along with colleagues at... Read more →
Chevrolet unveiled the new 2021 Tahoe and Suburban. Each is enlarged, and redesigned to offer the most interior space of any SUV, exclusive technologies and features, and the best driving dynamics in the full-size segment. The new SUVs combine the strongest aspects of Chevrolet’s new full-size truck architecture with entirely... Read more →
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the availability of grant funding to implement projects aimed at reducing emissions from the nation’s existing fleet of older diesel engines. EPA anticipates awarding approximately $44 million in Diesel Emission Reduction Program (DERA) grant funding to eligible applicants. EPA is soliciting applications... Read more →
HollyFrontier Corporation, an independent petroleum refiner and marketer that produces high value light products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel and other specialty products, plans to construct a new renewable diesel unit (RDU) at its Artesia, New Mexico refinery (Navajo Refinery). The RDU will have a production capacity of... Read more →
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) announced the opening off the application period for the competitive Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Combustion Freight and Marine Project funding. This solicitation is open to eligible owners of in-use freight trucks, switcher locomotives, ferries, tugboats and towboats throughout California. The South Coast Air Quality Management... Read more →
Diamond Green Diesel Holdings LLC (DGD) has filed an application with the California Air Resources Board (ARB) seeking carbon intensity (CI) certification for the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) of renewable diesel (RD) pathways from distillers corn oil; rendered animal fat; and used cooking oil (UCO) at the Diamond Green... Read more →
Concentrations of the harmful NO2 pollutant across 30 major European cities could be reduced by up to 40% with the correct traffic policy measures, according to EU Joint Research Center (JRC) scientists. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is the single largest environmental health risk in Europe.... Read more →
General Motors and Isuzu announced a $175-million investment through their DMAX joint venture to build an all-new, diesel engine components plant in Brookville, Ohio. The new 251,000 square-foot facility would expand the production of critical engine components for the company’s current DMAX diesel engine manufacturing operation in Moraine, Ohio. 2017... Read more →
Jeep will offer a diesel-powered Wrangler for the first time in North America with the introduction of the 2020 Jeep Wrangler EcoDiesel. Wrangler four-door models will offer the new 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 engine (earlier post), rated at 260 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque in this application, with engine stop-start... Read more →
The California Air Resources Board has issued a Product Alert for Fuel Additives under the Alternative Diesel Fuels (ADF) Regulation. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has conducted emissions testing that showed that tested additives failed to effectively mitigate to the regulatory standard. These results raise significant questions both as... Read more →
Volkswagen has unveiled the eighth generation of the Golf—the most successful Volkswagen model, having sold more than 35 million units. The newest Golf is digitalized, networked, predictive, intuitively operated and electrified, with five hybrid versions from mild to plug-in. Its digital interior architecture opens up a new dimension of intuitive... Read more →
Neste, the world’s leading provider of renewable diesel, has opened a new office in Hoofddorp, in greater Amsterdam which will serve as the global hub for the growing Renewable Aviation business. Neste is now also launching Neste MY Renewable Diesel to climate-conscious fleet customers in the Netherlands. The opening of... Read more →
Ram Truck announced EPA fuel economy ratings for the 2020 Ram 1500 powered by the new 3.0-liter V-6 EcoDiesel engine. The half-ton EcoDiesel will be rated at 32 miles per gallon (mpg) highway, 22 mpg city for 4x2 models; 29 mpg highway, 21 mpg city for 4x4 models. Ram 1500’s... Read more →
Gevo, Inc. has developed proprietary, breakthrough processes that convert either low-carbon isobutanol or low-value fusel oils—a mixture of alcohols that are byproducts from fermentation processes such as alcohol production—into renewable diesel. Gevo expects this renewable diesel to compete head-to-head on price with natural and petroleum-based equivalents, while reducing particulates and... Read more →
Since 2018, Volkswagen has used only SCR exhaust gas treatment systems with its diesel engines. SCR (selective catalytic reduction) technology significantly reduces nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas. Volkswagen has now developed the next evolutionary stage of its SCR system: “twin dosing”. Adblue is injected selectively upstream of two SCR... Read more →
According to a study commissioned by the Washington, DC-based Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), NOx emissions measured from propane autogas school buses were substantially lower than those measured from diesel school buses. The study was conducted in 2018 by West Virginia University’s Center of Alternatives Fuels, Engines, and Emissions... Read more →
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that 34 cleaner energy transportation projects will receive $8,489,844 in Driving PA Forward grants and rebates. Funded by Pennsylvania’s share of the settlement with Volkswagen Group of America, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)is committing funding for a range of clean energy transportation projects on... Read more →
Researchers in Europe have found that while diesel particulate filters (DPFs) have to a large extent masked the role of diesel fuel properties on particulate emissions, there is still room for optimization, especially in particle number (PN) emissions of vehicles with frequent regenerations. Their study is published in the journal... Read more →
The 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with the available, all-new 3.0L Duramax turbo-diesel engine delivers an EPA-estimated 33 mpg highway and 23 city in rear-wheel-drive models. EPA-estimated fuel economy for four-wheel drive models is 29 mpg highway/23 city. With an SAE-certified 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft (624 N·m) of torque, the... Read more →
UK new car registrations declined for a fourth consecutive month in June, with year-on-year demand falling by -4.9% to 223,421 units, according to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 1,269,245 new cars joined British roads in the first half of the year, down... Read more →
Audi’s sporty top model of the Q family, the SQ8 TDI SUV coupé, features a biturbo V8 TDI diesel that delivers 435 metric hp, 900 NN·mm (663.8 lb-ft) of torque, and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 4.8 seconds. 4.0-liter V8 TDI Biturbo engine with electric powered... Read more →
The Mercedes-Benz OM 654q four-cylinder diesel from the modern OM 654 engine family already complies with the Stage 2 RDE (Real Driving Emissions) standard which does not come into force until 2020, and is certified to Euro 6d. With its near-engine installation, the emission control system has low heat losses... Read more →
The 2020 Ram 1500 will become the most powerful half-ton diesel pickup in the US, with 480 lb-ft (651 N·m) of torque, and the most capable light-duty diesel, with towing capability up to 12,560 pounds. The all-new third-generation 3.0-liter V-6 EcoDiesel is also expected to lead the segment on fuel... Read more →
Audi is launching the fourth generation of the A6 allroad quattro on European markets with a choice of three V6 TDI 3.0-liter engines. The 3.0 TDI is available in three output ratings. The first produces 170 kW (231 PS) and – from 1,750 to 3,250 rpm – 500 N·m (368.8... Read more →
Audi is launching the fourth generation of the A6 allroad quattro on European markets with a choice of three V6 TDI 3.0-liter engines. The 3.0 TDI is available in three output ratings. The first produces 170 kW (231 PS) and – from 1,750 to 3,250 rpm – 500 N·m (368.8... Read more →
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin Madison and ExxonMobil Research and Engineering have devised a two-stage process by which an alcohol such as ethanol or 1-butanol can be converted with high yields into distillate-range ethers and olefins by combining Guerbet coupling (the coupling of two alcohol molecules) and intermolecular dehydration.... Read more →
For the same vehicle models with different powertrains, the carbon footprint of the battery-powered E variants is already better than those of the corresponding vehicles with internal combustion engines, according to a certified life cycle assessment (LCA) of the Volkswagen Golf, which compares the CO2 emissions of the different vehicle... Read more →
Mazda Motor Corporation announced at the New York International Auto Show that it has begun accepting pre-orders for the diesel-powered 2019 Mazda CX-5 in the US market. It is the first time Mazda has offered a diesel-powered passenger car in the US market. The 2019 CX-5 Signature AWD with Skyactiv-D... Read more →
The California Air Resources Board announced a settlement with Fiat Powertrain Technologies Industrial S.p.A for emissions-related violations affecting nearly 2,000 on-road and off-road diesel engines. The settlement includes a mandatory recall of affected vehicles and $6.4 million in penalties. The enforcement case began after the company informed CARB in 2015... Read more →
For the first time, the Audi S5 Coupé/Sportback has a V6 diesel under the hood. The 3.0 TDI engine in the S5 Coupé and the S5 Sportback produces 255 kW (347 hp) and delivers up to 700 N·m (516.3 lb-ft) of torque between 2,500 and 3,100 rpm. An electric powered... Read more →
Air pollution from diesel engines may worsen allergy-induced lung impairment more when tiny particles are filtered from the exhaust than when they are not, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. This counter-intuitive result may be due to... Read more →
The new Audi S6 and S7 models in Europe are making their entrance with a torquey V6 TDI engine. For the first time, Audi has combined an electric-powered compressor (EPC) with a 48-volt primary electrical system. The pairing of an electric compressor with a 48-volt primary electrical system takes the... Read more →
In addition to the 2.0-liter CRDi 48V diesel powertrain introduced in the New Tucson in 2018, Hyundai Motor has now combined its efficient and responsive 48V mild hybrid technology with the 100 kW/136-PS 1.6-liter CRDi diesel engine. The technology comprises a 48-volt battery, a Mild Hybrid Starter Generator (MHSG) and... Read more →
The Volkswagen Group said that since August 2017, more than 300,000 old diesel vehicles to exhaust emissions standards Euro 1 to Euro 5 have been exchanged throughout the Group. The old diesels have been replaced by new or nearly new cars from the participating Group brands with efficient powertrains of... Read more →
Commercial workboat engines are staying in service more than two times longer than predicted by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to new research from the Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). This finding reveals important opportunities for clean air improvements, especially in large port cities... Read more →
The US Securities and Exchange Commission charged Volkswagen AG, two of its subsidiaries, and its former CEO, Martin Winterkorn, for defrauding US investors, raising billions of dollars through the corporate bond and fixed income markets while making a series of deceptive claims about the environmental impact of the company’s “clean... Read more →
Researchers have identified two strains of diesel-degrading bacteria in pristine Antarctic soil and their optimal working conditions. This insight could potentially inform bioremediation efforts in the region. An open-access paper on the work appears in the journal Microbial Cell Factories. Pollution from petroleum hydrocarbons such as diesel, which is widely... Read more →
Caterpillar Inc. and the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory are teaming up to research heavy-duty diesel engines. This project is funded by the Department’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) and is one of seven public-private partnerships recently selected under the DOE’s High Performance... Read more →
A team led by researchers from Kanazawa University in Japan, with colleagues from Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion in China, have used ozone from an atmospheric-pressure non-equilibrium plasma together with the desulfurization catalyst MnO2 to almost completely eliminate NO2 and SO2 from diesel exhaust gas at a low temperature of... Read more →
An analysis by JATO Dynamics has found that average new vehicle CO2 emissions in European increased in 2018, with the total average increasing by 2.4 g/km to 120.5 g/km in 2018—the highest average of the last four years. The analysis covered 23 markets in Europe and found a direct correlation... Read more →
Mercedes-Benz is expanding Vito van range with enhancements including new high-torque four-cylinder diesel engines for the Vito Tourer with passenger car approval. In comparison to the predecessor, the new OM 654 diesel engine range reduces emissions and fuel consumption while also optimizing noise and vibration comfort. The OM 654 model... Read more →
Ford Europe will introduce more powerful and fuel-efficient 2.0-liter EcoBlue diesel engines, new 48V EcoBlue mild Hybrid powertrains; and driver assistance technologies including Active Park Assist in the enhanced Ford Tourneo Custom people-mover from mid-2019. Further optimized to deliver up to a 6% improvement in fuel efficiency for reduced running... Read more →
A new study provides the most detailed picture available to date of the global, regional, and local health impacts attributable to emissions from four transportation subsectors: on-road diesel vehicles; other on-road vehicles; shipping; and non-road mobile engines such as agricultural and construction equipment. Transportation-attributable PM2.5 and ozone deaths, associated mortality... Read more →
In Germany, testing by ADAC (Allgemeine Deutsche Automobil-Club eV) has found that all the Euro 6c and 6d-Temp vehicles that have been measured on the road to date meet much stricter requirements nitrogen oxides (NOx) than required by the EU. In the test, the cars were not only significantly below... Read more →
The new Audi SQ5 TDI diesel features a powerful V6 engine with a mild hybrid systems and an electric powered compressor to ensure that maximum torque is available to the sporty SUV at just above idle. The 3.0 V6 TDI engine delivers 255 kW (347 hp) and 700 N·m (516.3... Read more →
Audi is expanding the engine line-up for its luxury SUV, the Q8—as well as its roll-out of its 48V mild hybrid system (earlier post)—by adding two V6 engine versions. Beginning now, customers can also order the Q family’s top model with a 3.0 TFSI and an additional variant of the... Read more →
NEXT Renewable Fuels, Inc. (NEXT) and Shell Trading (US) Company (Shell) have entered a long-term purchase and sale agreement for the purchase of renewable diesel from NEXT’s planned Port Westward, Oregon facility. In November 2018, NEXT announced its selection of Honeywell UOP’s Ecofining technology to convert renewable feedstocks into renewable... Read more →