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What Would It Take for YOU to buy a diesel car?
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I'm sure there are ways to mitigate the freeze point issue of the urea additive.
Those temperature inversions are just not a friend to our air quality.
Looking for complaints, most came early in the transition to Urea injection. From the various blogs VW at least took care of customers with frozen Urea issues. Mostly the heater being defective. For those that park out at 15-30 below, I would get advice from your dealer.
Also a side note:
SCR used with AdBlue®, improves fuel economy which more than compensates for the cost of AdBlue®.
NM today:
Two starting points, using the MB GLK 250 BT / 350, as an example are 70% better gasser mpg and 10% better than diesel torque figures to 406 # ft (35% better in diesel now 273 vs 369 # ft) : LIKE model. Needless to say, those are VERY tall orders, almost delusionary. This is NOT a knock to MB @ all. Indeed MB has priced the GLK 250 BT well opposite the GLK 350. @ MINUS $-500.
OR, If you wanted to DOWNSIZE diesels (like the European 2015 VW Passat line) DIESELS in that direction also has the edge.
Just heard on a cable tv financial news network that MB announced a Charleston, SC MB VAN plant for $ 500 M. Diesels, I am sure will be a good % of the Sprinter power plants. Metris will also be added.
http://www.thestate.com/2015/03/06/4028405/mercedes-benz-van-division-announces.html
My .02 SWAG are these panel vans are probably more cost effective, efficient and effective against the tradesman's ubiquitous PU trucks and paneled vans.
Totally off topic I just saw a 09 TDI for sale that indicate I have lost 2.9% per year to OWN it (depreciation) So in six years MINUS -17.4 %
And I'd even pay the premium if I could otherwise afford to live in California.
Interesting news! Looks like the initial introduction, scheduled for Fall of this year, is for a 4-cyl gas engine only. I am interested to see if they add a diesel option.
http://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2016-mercedes-benz-metris-arrives-at-dealerships-in-october-priced-at-29945.html
Mercedes-Benz has announced plans to further expand the V-Class lineup with the introduction of the V 250 BlueTEC 4MATIC at the Paris Motor Show.
This will be the first V-Class with 4MATIC all-wheel drive, and will feature a 2.1-liter four-cylinder engine that develops 190 PS (140 kW) and 440 Nm (324 lb-ft) of torque in the the V 250 BlueTEC.
Detailed performance specifications have not been released but Mercedes confirmed the model will consume 6.7 L/100km (35.1 mpg US / 42.1 mpg UK) and have CO2 emissions of 177 g/km.
The V 250 BlueTEC 4MATIC will go on sale in December and German pricing starts at €53,109.70 (including a 19% VAT).
http://www.emercedesbenz.com/autos/mercedes-benz/viano/mercedes-v-250-bluetec-4matic-announced/attachment/emercedesbenz-14c834_12/#gallery
@ruking1, I got the mileage figures you asked me for my company's 2006 Mitusubishi FUSO FE180.
2/13/2015 - 59,587 miles
3/6/2015 - 59,755 miles
168 miles driven
24.973 gallons of ULSD @ $3.539/gallon
6.73 mpg
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I hope they were hauling a HUGE load. I had no idea they were such diesel guzzlers. Though 18,000 lbs is a lot of freight.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
They keep moving further West and East across the Arctic. There is likely more oil to be transported than has already gone down the line. More than 16 billion barrels have passed through the pipeline. The estimate for ANWR alone is more than that.
As the trans-Alaska oil pipeline ages, its life expectancy is actually increasing.
When oil first flowed through the 800-mile conduit in 1977, it was expected to transport crude and other petroleum products from Alaska’s North Slope to the ice-free port of Valdez for 35 years or until 2011.
But in 2003, the pipeline got a new lease on life, literally. The federal government renewed its right of way for 30 years, extending the line’s apparent life expectancy to 2034.
I am sure we will all be pushing up daisies long before oil stops flowing through the Alaska Pipeline.
In 2008, FERC adopted an end-of-life date of 2034 for the pipeline. But in a 2010 property tax dispute, an Alaska state court found the pipeline could continue operating economically until 2067
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1042727_adding-urea-to-clean-diesel-cars-can-i-just-pee-in-the-tank
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2013/10/how-much-does-refilling-the-volkswagen-passat-tdis-urea-cost.html
I am not sure that adding urea every 10,000 miles would be a deal breaker, other things like the price of the car & price of RUG vs. diesel would play a bigger role.. I would add the urea myself after the free maintenance is up as several of you already do.
Local Rug prices are up about 35 cents while diesel is only up about 5 cents a gallon from a month ago. The gap is down to about 20 cents. Very curious to see where prices go when the new refinery kicks in. I am also very interested in seeing what happens when Cushing tops out. Maybe they will just put it on the ground like they do with grain when the silo is full! (sarcasm)!!
Seems like the only thing that will cause TAPS to wind down, absent a natural (or other) disaster, would be a cheap oil glut that kills the economics. Shale's not going to do it, so that pretty much leaves a big switch from oil to something else.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2014/02/140211-germany-plans-to-raze-towns-for-brown-coal/
Not to mention we do not have the resources anymore to make batteries or electric motors. So that means more stuff from Asia. China controls 95% of the Rare Earth elements needed for almost every form of alternative energy.
"The [utility] industry and its fossil-fuel supporters are waging a determined campaign to stop a home-solar insurgency that is rattling the boardrooms of the country’s government-regulated electric monopolies.
Rooftop solar’s new popularity is creating a serious cost imbalance. While homeowners with solar panels usually see dramatic reductions in their electric bills, they still rely on the grid for electricity at night and on cloudy days. The utility collects less revenue, even though the infrastructure costs ... remain the same.
The residential solar industry currently employs about 174,000 people nationwide, or twice as many as the number of coal miners.
Researchers from Cambridge University concluded that photovoltaics will soon be able to out-compete fossil fuels, even if oil prices drop to as low as $10 a barrel." (that one looks huge to me).
Time to short the utility stocks.
“One can imagine a day when battery-storage technology or micro turbines could allow customers to be electric grid independent,” said a 2013 Edison study. “To put this into perspective, who would have believed 10 years ago that traditional wire line telephone customers could economically ‘cut the cord’?”
And this is where the Koch brothers ran into a wall:
“Conservatives support solar — they support it even more than progressives do,” said Bryan Miller, co-chairman of Sunrun, a California solar provider. “It’s about competition in its most basic form. The idea that you should be forced to buy power from a state-sponsored monopoly and not have an option is about the least conservative thing you can imagine.”
Utilities wage campaign against rooftop solar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Petroleum_Reserve–Alaska
I see that they are still trying to deal with the low flows.
http://www.alyeska-pipe.com/TAPS/PipelineOperations/Throughput
Throughput, total per year in millions
2002 365 bbl.
2003 363 bbl.
2004 342 bbl.
2005 325 bbl.
2006 277 bbl.
2007 270 bbl.
2008 257 bbl.
2009 245 bbl.
2010 226 bbl.
2011 213 bbl.
2012 201 bbl.
2013 195 bbl.
2014 187 bbl.
http://www.alyeska-pipe.com/TAPS/PipelineOperations/LowFlow
http://www.alyeska-pipe.com/TAPS/PipelineOperations/LowFlowOperations
Hats off to the largely leadership, unions for the awesome governance !! ( sorry to leave out the host of supporting players) IF the same elements either defacto or are called upon again, it's the same old same ole, all over again !?
It is vey apparent the electric infrastructure needs BILLIONS of $$'s of MASSIVE work in order for BASIC things to happen, let alone rebirth. Which utility is going to want to pony up, IF the goal is getting off the grid, they will be asked to fund? ?? It is also apparent that "HOME" solar systems are expensive ($30,000) and optimistically have 30 year live spans. In the early stages of "solar" most companies have gone bankrupt. One can buy houses in Detroit for $ 30,000, I have read ! Large tracts of land can be had just putting it back on active tax rolls.
It is the height of hypocrisy for the PVF to be 95% PLUS+ RUG/PUG !!! This plan was probably hatched in Detroit, so there is a certain amount of IRONY here !
Everybody knows diesel gets better mpg (30% minimum), has less ppm SULFUR (30 ppm to 90 ppm vs 15 ppm 5 to 10 ppm nominally delivered @ the pumps) . Biodiesel has ZERO ppm SULFUR and a whole host of necessary on going processes can be tapped to make B 100 FROM. YET after @ least 50 years, there is STILL no political will for B100 specifications engines !!
ULSD $3.25 (yippie to have even hit $2.99,=+ 8.7%)
RUG $ 3.31
MG $ 3.41
PUG $ 3.51
187 million barrels a year is a respectable 512,000 barrels per day. I think Pt Thomson is due on line shortly. No sense pumping anymore than needed to keep the flow going at $50 per barrel. Bet it goes back up as the price goes up.
My other solar quote was around $21,000 before the incentives (~$7k in credits). That includes ~$2,000 for a panel upgrade to 200 amp (I'm maxed out right now). And yeah, I'd get to take a credit for the portion spent to upgrade the panel. Ditto the carport idea if we went back to that.
The utilities are really going to shoot themselves in the foot by fighting solar and net metering. I'm tempted to dump another $10k in the system and get batteries and just go off the grid. Then who's going to help pay for it? And the utilites that went whole hog nuclear will really be underwater. No way they'll be able to afford the billions in waste management fees. So we'll all be on the hook for the WIPP and Diablo Canyon messes.
Forgot to check diesel prices today; all I noticed was that the cheap gas at one of the Walmarts was up to $2.23.
I would seriously think about that also. We in So CA are faced with $4 billion to demobilize San Onofre Nuke plant. We are already paying the highest rates in the Nation. Then if the idea of $50 per month to use Net Metering gets popular. You can get a total solar system for off the grid with 3KW for $13k.
http://www.altestore.com/store/Packaged-Systems/Off-Grid-Residential-Systems/Off-Grid-Residential-package-3-306kW-Kyocera-Modules/p11616/
Cupertino, CA ( people have probably not a clue which tech firm is located there) not very long ago charged $21,000 for the PERMITTING ONLY for a solar installation, residence. The local utility charge another arm/leg to hook up the solar installation to the system also.
The truth is there is no electrical energy shortage either. I think it is plain to see they are trying to make it financially daunting for the smaller business oil AND solar companies to do business crashing and crushing oil/solar industry jobs !!!! Great jobs recovery !
Diablo, San Onofre - can't keep up with the problem children.
Slow diesel news day (one indy where I buy)
ULSD @ $3.19
RUG $ 3.35
MG $3.45
PUG $3.55
Back @ the commute grind, 41 mpg diesel (consistency is almost boring here) vs 26 mpg (VW like model RUG/PUG gassers, projected, fuelly.com) @ 1,250 miles month/= .0778 cents/.1327 CPMD : F ( cost/ cents per mile driven fuel) or 70.5 % more.
A gasser (like model) in our case would spend $824 MORE per year. New tires and alignment do not seem to have the "newness" mpg penalty. Over a years time (15,000 miles commute) $824 SAVINGS will buy 258 gals of ULSD, and that would be 10,590 miles , commute MORE. Yearly tire is projected @ minus- $80.
End the Ethanol Rip-Off
By ROBERT BRYCEMARCH 10, 2015
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/10/opinion/end-the-ethanol-rip-off.html?_r=0
So,... IF it is THAT bad @ 10% ethanol, what do you think @ 100 % ethanol ?????? !!!!!
Correction from ..."Yearly tire is projected @ minus- $80."
TO :
Tire consumption rate $'s is projected @ minus- $80. yearly.
And while we're at it, what about DST (Daylight Savings Time)? Another idea that was never really worthwhile, and it's well past time to end it.
So, as far as ideas go, it really doesn't matter how much merit one has.... if you inconvenience people long enough with it, they're gonna reject it eventually!
Fueleconomy.gov, a site run by the federal government, advises that vehicles running on the most common form of ethanol-blended fuel, E10 (which contains 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline), will typically get “3 percent to 4 percent fewer miles per gallon” than they would if they were running on pure gasoline. That mileage penalty — in essence, a tax — must be paid at the pump through the purchase of additional fuel.
One of my many reasons for switching to a diesel vehicle. If I ever buy another vehicle it will be diesel also. I have had it with the government and their experiments with our gasoline fuel. MTBE polluted our water in California. Ethanol destroyed a large area of the Gulf of Mexico. The EPA is their own worst enemy. With the help of the jerks at CARB.
I see a solid 10% difference between ethanol-laced RUG vs the "clear gas".
Again, this is NO knock against MB. BUT using (like model ) GLK 350 (PUG @ 20 mpg) vs GLK 250 BT (ULSD @ 34.5 mpg), the diesel posts 73% BETTER mpg (costs WAY less also).
I see a solid 10% difference between ethanol-laced RUG vs the "clear gas".
You are right, it is more like 3-4 MPG less with most E10. Just more lies from the EPA.
Standard time zones were only implemented in 1883. Up until then, everyone set their clocks / watches to high noon when the sun was directly overhead, very simple system. But the trains were running into each other, so standard time zones were implemented just to help avoid train collisions.
Basically, in the winter, there isn't enough daylight to matter one way or the other. So, why create the inconvenience of a shifting clock when there is a clear benefit of the DST during the better part of the year.
As of this week, I'm already more productive in the evenings. I go home, change clothes, and then outside to "get some work done." Just last week I was holing up as soon as I parked the car.
While we're messing with time zones, why not just compress them to two zones in the Lower 48? Eastern and Western.
Narrowest differential seen on I-10 going over and back was twenty cents - $2.49 RUG, $2.69 diesel.
With the GLK 250 BT diesel @ $2.69/34.5 mpg= .078 CPMD : F !! ??