[Diy_efi] Is E85 worth it?

[Bobby Yates Emory]

Adam,

The situation is confusing.  What you said is correct - "So we already have
low-sulphur fuel in play."  But you should have added the following:

and we have for several years.  And about now we are getting ultra low.

Bobby

On 9/7/06, Adam Wade <espresso_doppio at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> --- paul <pstelzig at tcq.net> wrote:
>
> Some new items for public consumption (from
> dieselnet.com):
>
> "2 June 2006: The transition to ultra low sulfur
> diesel fuel has started in the United States. As of
> yesterday, 80% of diesel fuel produced by refineries
> or imported for use in on-road vehicles must contain
> no more than 15 ppm sulfur. The retail level deadline
> is October 15, 2006. The ultra low sulfur diesel will
> enable advanced exhaust aftertreatment technologies in
> future diesel engines, such as the catalytic
> particulate filters which are being introduced on 2007
> heavy-duty truck and bus engines. The EPA and the DTF
> are both calling it a clean diesel milestone."
>
> So we already have low-sulphur fuel in play.
>
> Here are the US numbers for heavy road-going vehicles:
>
> <http://www.dieselnet.com/standards/us/hd.html>
>
> And here are the passenger/light truck vehicle
> numbers:
>
> <http://www.dieselnet.com/standards/us/light.html>
>
> World numbers are available through the menu at
> http://www.dieselnet.com/standards/
>
> <http://genomicsgtl.energy.gov/biofuels/transportation.shtml#consumption>
> shows that for road use in the USA, the ratio of
> gasoline to diesel consumption is about 7:2.
>
> According to
> <
> http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_04_05.html
> >,
> the 2003 usage of diesel for transit, boat and railway
> was 6.79 billion gallons.  Transit and other on-road
> heavy vehicles only list combined gas and diesel
> usage, but I think we can safely assume most of them
> are diesels; 33.66 billion gallons consumed by them.
> Passenger/LT diesels only account for 0.1% of current
> passenger/LT vehicles on the road, and the 2003
> figures for combined diesel and gasoline usage for
> passenger and light truck vehicles was 143.2 billion
> gallons.  So even assuming all non-passenger vehicles
> use nothing but diesel, and almost no passenger
> vehicles do, gasoline is consumed over diesel in the
> USA by a factor of more than 3:1.
>
> As an aside, looks like our new diesel standards are
> harder to achieve than anywhere else in the world.
> Have a look at this, which will be depressing for auto
> manufacturers hoping to cash in on diesel passenger
> car sales:  <http://blog.wired.com/cars/#1551774>
>
> "The soon-to-be-released 2007 Mercedes-Benz E 320
> Bluetec is billed as the cleanest diesel ever, but it
> produces too many emissions to be sold in five states.
>
> The sedan is the first of 10 models expected to use
> the Bluetec common-rail direct injection engine, and
> the vehicles include an aftertreatment process to
> reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. However, that still
> was not enough to meet the regulations of California,
> New York, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont, according
> to Edmunds.
>
> The V-6 engine is powerful (400 lbs. of torque and
> 0-60 in 6.6 seconds) and very fuel-efficient for its
> class, getting an estimated 26/37 miles per gallon or
> going an 700 miles (wowza) on a full tank. By
> comparison, the Honda Accord hybrid is rated at 25/34
> mpg.
>
> The Bluetec engine was anticipated to usher in the new
> era of clean diesels that offer hybrid-like economy
> and cleanliness through the new ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur
> Diesel) fuel, but not being able to be sold nationwide
> is a substantial setback for Mercedes and the
> category. If all 10 models expected from
> DaimlerChrysler that use the engines, including an SUV
> and a Jeep Grand Cherokee, can't be sold in California
> et al, it will take a long time for diesels to impact
> the U.S. passenger vehicle market."
>
>
> | Kawasaki Zephyr 615 (Daphne)       Kawasaki Zephyr 550 (Velma)|
> | "It was like an emergency ward after a great catastrophe; it  |
> |   didn't matter what race or class the victims belonged to.   |
> |  They were all given the same miracle drug, which was coffee. |
> |   The catastrophe in this case, of course, was that the sun   |
> |     had come up again."                    -Kurt Vonnegut     |
> | M/C Fuel Inj. Hndbk. @ Amazon.com -  http://tinyurl.com/6o3ze |
>
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-- 
Toward freedom,

Bobby Yates Emory