







Source: Detroit News

Comments     Threshold


RE: Enough pumps?
By ShieTar on 2/12/2013 11:23:48 AM , Rating: 3
The reason why diesel took of in europe (once diesel motors started to drive and smell the same way as gasoline engines) was the lower relative cost of diesel. So the higher price of the car was compensated by fuel costs after a year or two.

The process of cracking down crude oil always generates both gasoline and diesel as well as a load of other gas/oil products. 10 years ago there was a high imbalance in demands, so diesel was sold at half the price of gasoline, so driving a diesel was quiet inexpensive.

But now, since the number of diesel engines in personal cars has picked up, the price of diesel fuel has increased, so there remains very little economic reason to pick a diesel.

RE: Enough pumps?
By Dr of crap on 2/12/2013 1:07:13 PM , Rating: 2
Sorry but the high diesel price IS NOT related to cars running on diesel.

It the trucks and the tax money that can be made by the high taxes and diesel that the trucks burn.

RE: Enough pumps?
By Samus on 2/12/2013 3:03:38 PM , Rating: 4
The two things that will prevent Diesel passenger vehicles from catching on in the United States: Diesel fuel tax and maintenance.

Diesel fuel costs more than premium unleaded here in Chicago, and because of ridiculous EPA mandates, a Urea tank is now mandatory which is the stupidest idea ever regulated in the auto industry. Most vehicles require it be emptied every 20k, while it obviously reduces performance, fuel economy, exhaust system life and possibly engine life.

RE: Enough pumps?
By Mint on 2/13/2013 3:23:54 PM , Rating: 2
You think we should raise the allowable NOx emissions then?

Diesel can't match gasoline's emissions without the urea tank. Even the posterchild of clean diesel - the Passat TDI - gets very average emissions ratings compared to decent gas engines, and that's with the tank.

RE: Enough pumps?
By JediJeb on 2/12/2013 9:39:18 PM , Rating: 2
Actually a large part of the high price of diesel is the new requirement of low sulfur content which requires more refining or different sources of crude to achieve. Thank the EPA for higher diesel prices.

RE: Enough pumps?
By Calin on 2/13/2013 6:02:26 AM , Rating: 2
10 years ago the price for diesel was about three quarters of the price of gasoline. This, coupled with the 20% or so of higher mpg (partially from the lower power of the typical diesel engine of the times) made diesel powered cars a very good choice for medium to high mileage vehicles.
On the other side, right now price for diesel fuel is actually higher than non-premium gasoline. As such, diesel is only worth it for very high mileage passenger vehicles (though many people consider themselves in that category, irregardless of their actual driving)

RE: Enough pumps?
By Mint on 2/13/2013 3:54:54 PM , Rating: 2
If that was the only reason, then California would have more diesel. It has low sulfur and other requirements for gasoline, too, which is one of the main reasons it has higher gas costs than the rest of the nation.

RE: Enough pumps?
By Dr. Kenneth Noisewater on 2/13/2013 11:01:38 AM , Rating: 2
In Europe, diesel is taxed lower than gasoline, thus its popularity.

In the US, not so much.

RE: Enough pumps?
By Mint on 2/13/2013 3:18:39 PM , Rating: 2
Of course it's related.

We get a certain amount of diesel and gasoline out of each barrel of oil. We can change the ratio with different refining methods, but the world mostly uses hydrocracking to maximize diesel production already (and it costs to switch the remaining catalytic cracking plants over).

If consumer preference changes the ratio, then diesel winds up in short supply while gasoline goes into surplus. That makes the price of diesel go up and gasoline go down, so that consumer preference reverts to maintain the same consumption ratio as before.

Diesel cars outside the US definitely contribute to the demand ratio.

RE: Enough pumps?
By TheSlamma on 2/12/2013 2:37:07 PM , Rating: 2
It always cracks me up the people who say how Europe is this massive diesel market.. yes they have more than the US, but all the places I have gone, France, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Luxembourg.. while they all have them it was still quite a mix and some places it was way more gas than diesel. Maybe your info is just based on the "they said" logic and you haven't actually been there.

and they do not smell the same, diesel is a lung cancers dream still.

