For the diesel-head with deep pockets...

[Scott Harness]

Sweet!

[Joe_Black]

Yeah, I think the real cool-factor is that they're actually building these things and Americans aren't so loyal to Detroit at the expense of their wallets anymore. It's a wide open show and when it comes to diesels we're running at the back of the pack. Fortunately ignorance is curable!

[Chopper]

Yeaaah....I like the R8 alot, but I believe I'll take mine burnin' high test.....save the oil burner for the big S class Merc

[mbeach]

As a recent diesel convert, I'll have to say that I love my Duramax.
Any motor that can pull 7000 lbs of truck carrying 5000 lbs in the bed and still drop most cars at a stoplight gets a thumbs-up in my book.
The engine is so good in fact, it almost makes me forget that I'm driving a domestic.


If the Touareg wasn't such a POS, I'd love to have the diesel version -that would be the ultimate family truckster.

On a related note, Audi does most of its cold-weather testing up here. About a month ago, the wife spotted some Audi prototype SUV running around town -it was bigger and boxier than the Q7. Save for the AU rings, it had no other badges on it. 2009 maybe?
I've made her start carrying around a camera for just such occasions.

[Joe_Black]

I just picked up an '86 Mack Midliner yesterday which has the Renault 5.5L intercooled turbo diesel (Renault started acquisition of Mack in the late 70's, then sold Mack to Volvo in the late 90's). It had a 26' box on it which the guy I bought it from kept for storage, so I'm going to bob the frame and make a rollback out of it with a knuckleboom crane. In any case, the thing runs great (long story but $23K truck I got for $500) and come to find out it gets in the upper teens on mileage. Not bad for the size! The multifuel M35A2 I recently traded for will be lucky to see anything over 12MPG, then again it's a 6X6 that's always engaged.

The real and true beauty of diesel is that if you had the inclination you can make your own fuel. Very simple, lots of options and about the greenest fuel out there besides the car powered by compressed air. Hydrogen could be a greener fuel, but only if it weren't so dirty to produce (which is what most are ignorant of).

[Chopper]

An outfit called "Power+Energy" is in the business of purifying H2 for electronics and LEDs. The H2 is a byproduct of petrol refining and is dirty. The process uses a membrane to strain it clean. They've changed the process around some, and now separate the hydrogen from vaporized gasoline, diesel, E85, ethanol....even bio fuels! One gallon of diesel equals about 1kg of H2, and 90 percent of the original heat value of the liquid is realized as hydrogen. A "state of the art" fuel cell runs at a bit less than 50 percent, so you are effectively doubling the fuel efficiency of the same size diesel (or whatever) burning vehicle... and none of the production-storage-shipping nightmares associated with H2.....and no driving around with a big tank ... now we're getting somewhere!!!!!CO2 emissions are halved, no NOx. Chrysler tried the mini refinery thing maybe ten years ago, but it wasn't the same thing(Commander)and was ultimately too dirty for it's membrane.....the idea was dropped. This is all DOD funded, and the Navy takes delivery of its first unit in May. This is exciting stuff!!!! Now a "kinder" battery for all this...hmmmmm

[Joe_Black]

Intriguing stuff: http://www.powerandenergy.com/

Power+Energy is leading the way to the Hydrogen Economy with proprietary manufacturing and patented hydrogen separation and purification technologies. Power+Energy's palladium-alloy hydrogen purifiers purify commercial compressed or liquid hydrogen to nine-nines purity, meeting even the most stringent requirements for semiconductor fabrication processes, including MOCVD for LEDs, laser diodes, and other compound semiconductors. Our hydrogen purifiers are also ideal for metallurgy, R&D, and instrumentation, No matter how large or small your pure hydrogen needs are, Power+Energy has the right purifier for your organization.

Additionally, using Power+Energy's patented hydrogen separation technology, liquid fuels like gasoline, diesel, propane, and ethanol can be converted into a stream of pure hydrogen gas with less than 100 parts per billion of carbon monoxide, meeting the highest purity standards for powering a PEM fuel cell. Power+Energy's advanced technology can be utilized to deliver hydrogen to where it is required, using the existing liquid fuel infrastructure. Whether it's propane to support a fuel cell at a remote site, diesel fuel to hydrogen for auxiliary power for commercial trucking, backup power for hospitals, police, and fire stations, or converting gasoline into hydrogen for hydrogen fueling stations for automobiles, Power+Energy's unique technology can deliver the high-quality hydrogen needed to enable the widespread use of ultra-clean fuel cells.

Power+Energy provides pure hydrogen where it's needed, when it's needed — without a new hydrogen infrastructure.

Power+Energy's technology is how we're Fueling the Hydrogen Economy.™

Kinda makes me wonder if someone's just trying to inflate palladium futures: http://www.stillwaterpalladium.com/uses.html