Biodiesel puts out fewer emissions than dino diesel. Mainly the NOx and particulates are lower. Best way to make biodiesel is from rape seed.

Future US emission standards are going to be the same for gas and diesel (today diesels gets a break) and that's the problem. Even with the new common rail technology and low sulfur fuel NOx levels are higher than gas and above the limit.

Mercedes will use uera injection to clean up the NOx in their regular diesel. You'd have to change the canister with every oil change which isn't a big deal considering the benefits.

The rise in gas prices doesn't seem so bad when you consider these new engines will give you 40% better MPG and more fun to drive. I was dreading a future of sterelized hybrid propulsion but these diesels give me hope we can have our cake and eat it too. I also hear hybrids are going to get better...

This was emailed to me today. I know my link is specific to Indianapolis, but if you scroll down the left side, there appear to be links to other metro locations as well. It's as good as the people using it.


Maybe it'll help you save a buck or two until you can convert to solar panels...or maybe sails. It'll take 'em at least 3 or 4 years to figure out how to tax the wind.


Gas Prices

Whaaa...

My summer driver only gets about 14mpg with the top down. And since its Supercharged it needs to run 92+

[QUOTE] If the goal is to rid the roads of SUV's, I think that $5 a gallon is not the best way to go. Give me a break, I never owned one, ever! Why pray tell should I pay $5 a gallon in my economical car because someone (regardless right or wrong) wants SUV's off the road. If you want them off the road, pass a law getting them off the road, but do not punish others in your attempt to change the ways of others. Attack the problem head on man! Do not go around the problem you wish to solve by effecting everyone regardless of "guilt". I am sure that most of the SUV owners have on average more income for gas purchase, than those that drive econo boxes, so you would be harming the econo box owners proportionally more, and still may not get the richest SUV owners off the road.

Very poor idea for the goal of removing SUV's, if you got a probelm with them, then attack them if you must, not everyone (I am not a big fan of them either)

I for one like to go camping in the mountians, right now in my 914 (yes I drive it camping sometimes) it costs about $35 round trip in gas, If it hits $5 a gallon, I'd be out an extra $35 every time I go camping, all this for you to rid the roads of SUV's, yeah, right, give up my vacations because I can't afford them with your plan.

Electrics are a nice non gas option, I have considered making an electric car myself, however if all the cars in California were electric, there would not be enough powerplants to keep them going. Electric is not the solution right now, as are other technologies that are in the press (and Politics) Hydrogen is a neat one, it burns so clean etc..... What people need to understand (as we piss away tax dollars for demo cars that burn a fuel that is too expensive to make) is hydrogen needs energy to produce it, and we have no place for that to come from right now.

Maybe one day we will have cheap electric (maybe Fussion) when we do, electric, or hydrogen cars will be the best, until then the majority use gasoline, and the majority of them are better off with low gas prices.

The China thing mentioned is probably right, China has been increasing its fuel needs drastically, In a nation that had zero private cars a decade or so ago, to the biggest market for cars, they will be using alot of gas, and other engrgy to fuel their economy. So true, the price of gas here is higher because of demand there. However, we are benifiting from Chinas development with cheap (dirt cheap) products we buy from them, however there are other issues such as are we supporting slave labor, or helping Chinas military might. At any rate, China is I believe having an impact on gas prices.

As far as diesel, I think it is a good option, certainly good milage from the diesel. A small light car could get over 60 mpg with a diesel. Diesel technology is already here, just need the public to buy them. They do simular to hybrids in milage. Europe has something like half the cars on diesel (or half the new sales of cars, or something like that, oh heck don't quote me I just know its a lot of them in europe)

dave

I paid $2.49 a gallon this morning.

Here is what West Valley, Utah is paying:

Took the boy to Nana's this morning gas was $1.89. Went to the doctor this afternon for my checkup and gas is $2.08. Not bad, only jumped $.19 in four hours. :finger2:

- Garold

That's not true. Electric vehicles charge at night when overall electrical demand is very low. Electrics do have their disadvantages - the primary being range.

filled up the new mercedes at costco yesterday for $1.98/gal. i can't figure out if i am saving money by driving it, since it gets the best gas mileage of any car in my fleet, or if it costs more because it requires a minimum of 91 octane.

And, if anyone wants gas to go to $5/gal, then let's try putting a democrat in the white house so he can add more taxes to the price of a gallon.

Seeing as how the "oil companies" are multinational and owe allegience to no one in paticular, it has always been my thought that they are just trying to get the US to pay the same as the rest of the world for refined fossil fuel.

Maybe it's an Al Queerda plot!

It goes up, but never comes back to the level it started at. So......., bend over, grab your ankles and SMILE.

On the news a couple of days ago they reported that the oil companies are raising prices due to short commings in supply due to several refineries being down for maintenance. However, the two major companies have reported first quarter earnings increaces of around 23% for shell, and 98% for exxon/arco. (I am pretty shure that I got the names and figures right...the main idea is still there) Thus, there is absolutely no fiscal motivation for the companies to repair their refineries, or do any other maintenance as stated in the earlier post about the diesel pipeline break.

As for SUV bias, I have owned one as long as I was able and have used it as intended most of the time. The only folks that I have hit deserved it (they werent paying attention, ran stop signs) and it saved my bacon. Besides, I need to always keep a car in inventory that can tow the 914 home, to the shop, etc.

My daily driver is a motorcycle that gets atleast 40mpg. It is a hazardous endevour, but parking is also very easy.

On the Mercades, 91 octane might be recommended, but a nice modern car like the Mercades should be ok on lower octane, just a little less perfromance, as the computer that controls the engine senses knock from low octane, and retards the timing just enough to stop the knocking. Technology is great some times!

The real problem is for a high compression car that does not have the knock sensor, as the low grade crap gas we get in high tech silicon valley will cause knocking, and the owner must manually retard the timing, increase mixture or what ever.

Last year used to buy 92 octane, now max is 91 octane, can you all believe this crap??? What ever happened to 98 octane, (when did we stop that???)

The oxygenates they ad now also are harmful, as they tend to lean out mixtures in older cars (either in carb cars, or older FI cars, like the 914) You need to richen the mixture by adding more fuel volume than was needed in the past, if you do not, you run lean. And when you make the fix (if you even can on a 914) your milage drops, so you burn more of the damn stuff anyway!!! (True enough, in my "fleet" of a half dozen cars or so, when they switched gas mixures out here, my milage went down about 10%, as was predicted in the news papers)

Ok, I think getting the lead out of gas was good, it was just so toxic, but good greif, many of the stuff they make us put in gas in Nazi California is a bunch of mumbo jumbo that non scientist wacko politicians come up with (like farm subsidizing thru mandated use of alchohol in the gas) There is little logic to the "clean gas laws" makes distribution more expensive, and is driven by political choices, and by persons (elected or appointed) that would rather see all evil cars scrapped so we can all ride busses in their commie socialist paridise.

I truely believe the lack of octane greater than 91 is purposely in place to run older performance cars out of the state, or into museums. I do not understand why a higher octane grade could not be made and be as clean as the so called clean gas we have today. (barring political mandated additives)

At any rate, nice Mercades!

dave

PS to address the monopoly issue of only two owners of Californias gas supply, The politicians have effectivily barred outside compitition by making it too expensive to get into Californias market. They have done this by not approving any new refineries for years, super strict pollution laws, workers comp laws, and numerous "un-freindly to business" laws, high taxes, oh, and special gas, gas that must be different depending on the time of year, and what county you sell it in. Why do business here, when the other 49 states are so much easier????

We are lucky we have to have even one, much less two gas suppliers out here.

dave

Dang, that van is cool! I love WTF-type vehicles (even if you want to run me and my Excursion off the road!)

sm

Mike,

the new avatar is disturbing....

James

Oh no! Don't go off the road, you'll hurt the poor trees!

Just kidding!



Naw, I wouldn't mind SUV's if they were paying their way. And if they were required to meet the same FMVSS as passenger cars. Trouble is they are classified as "Trucks" and therefore are not expected to meet safety and emissions standards because we don't want to penalize the farmers. Ya right, the yuppie next door to me that does her grocery run in her "Ford Explosion" is needing a farming exemption! just level the playing field, that's all I ask.
I've often thought that the speed limit for a car should be related to kinetic energy, you know, MV^2. It would sure slow me down in me Stretch V dub, but in case of an accident we'd all be on even footing. I don't mind that. Best of all, the light Teeners could be kicking ass! Oh well, I'm dreaming again.
In the meantime, there are many studies that show the real cost of gas at $6 to$15 a gallon. It's just being subsidized by our other taxes (seen your medical insurance bill lately?) and the federal deficit, which although rather invisible to most people affects us all.

So go ahead, give us $5 a gallon gas, but reduce the average tax burden the same amount. Economical car drivers will get a super break, and when I drag my 914 to a race with a truck I'll gladly pay the penalty.

Not to get to far off topic but you really need to consider what these "gas" prices are doing to not just the consumer but the businesses also. From trucking companies to companies like mine these inflated prices are killing us.

There is a good reason that OPEC is called a CARTEL. They are thieves and our stupid government just blindly looks the other way as they artificially prop up these prices. The problem is that it does not just affect gasoline prices it affects natural gas, electricity, fuel oil.... everything is related.

You want to talk about the declining value of a gallon of gasoline? Compare as to this:

1998 - my company paid 1.98 for an MCF of Natural Gas

2004 - my company pays 6.50 for an MCF of Natural Gas.

Sounds like a pretty big hike HUH? Well you do the math considering we use about 60,000 MCF PER MONTH.

Now who is getting f$cked Who do you think is going to absorb this huge increase? Well my bank will make damn sure it is not my company... so you'll end up paying for it in the long run. Great plan there people.

In San Diego, the News just flashed real published Gas Prices of $2.99/gal.......

James

forget the fuel eveything is more exspensive. paid $6.95 a lb for skinless boneless chicken breast. must be the avian flu. have you priced plywood lately? as for a democrat in office, i would pay $7 a gallon to get one and take the bus, walk, ride a bike, etc.

kevin