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The alternative scene: Cleaner diesel and biofuel set the standard
Howard Elmer
Fleet buyers are keenly aware of fuel costs. It’s one of their biggest variable expenses and it can throw a budget for a loop. Consequently, diesel engines already play a large role in fleet vehicles (as opposed to the general-buying public). That’s the first reason news of incoming diesel legislation early last year was met with a mixture of hope and dread.
Rumors were rampant that the cost of cleaner fuel and engines would be huge—and passed right on to buyers. At the same time, gasoline prices spiked, almost as a warning of what was to come. For the buyer
who couldn’t afford to wait and see, these realities made for some difficult purchase decisions.
By now the air has cleared. The price of new diesels didn’t rise anywhere near as much as expected and cleaner fuel is actually a benefit to older engines. Gasoline prices, on the other hand, remain volatile.
One of the positive elements of the new diesel regulations is the greening of the engines. In reality (and for public perception)
this is a good direction. It’s come about because new rules mandate refineries to remove 97 per cent of the sulfur from the diesel fuel they produce. The new level of sulfur in diesel is just 15 parts per million, down from what the industry used to say was acceptable: 500 parts per million.
But the greening of diesel engines isn’t just about low sulfur fuel. A whole set of diesel technologies burn the cleaner fuel and discharge 80 per cent less particulate matter and 70 per cent less nitrogen oxide (nox) into the air than previous generations of diesels.
As a result, according to Environment Canada, the higher efficiency of diesel engines equals lower emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), a key greenhouse gas contributing to climate change, relative to
comparable gasoline-fuelled vehicles.
Currently, the majority of diesel engines in Canada (with the exception of Volkswagen cars) are found in trucks; a trend still growing. According to R. L. Polk & Co., heavyduty diesel sales (from 1994 to 2006) grew at an average rate of nine per cent each year. But, there’s also progress in bringing more diesel powered cars to market by domestic and off-shore manufacturers.
In March, General Motors chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner reinforced GM’s commitment to energy diversity with the introduction of an all-new high-tech V6 diesel engine for Europe at the Geneva Auto Show. This new GM motor is a 250 hp, 2.9-litre diesel V6 for the European market.
GM says it will offer a 40 per cent increase in power, along with reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, compared to its current V6 diesel. While no plans have been announced for a North American version of the engine, it’s this type of smaller, cleaner diesel that we should be seeing here in the future.
Companies like Toyota, Nissan, Ford, GM and Dodge are all hinting at smaller diesels available even in half-ton trucks by the end of the decade. And these engines will be so much better than what we’re used to.
In fact, many advances in North American diesels come from Europe. Ford’s new Power Stroke diesel engine, for instance, uses a high-precision, high-pressure fuel injection system featuring Piezo-electric injectors, first introduced in Europe.
But some of the coming diesel technology is being developed right here in Ontario. For instance, biodiesel was the focus of a just-completed study on selected Ontario farms. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel made from locally available sources, including animal fats and plant oils such as soybean, sunflower and canola.
“This project was designed to accelerate the adoption of biodiesel use on Ontario farms through a series of on-farm evaluations,” said Deanna Deaville, special project coordinator with the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), which administers the project. The experiment with biodiesel production offered farmers
a new source of revenue, along with the benefit of being able to grow their own fuel supply.
Another green program, recently unveiled by Transport Canada, is government rebates of up to $2,000 on the purchase of eco-friendly cars. While many consumers are familiar with the high-profile hybrid
electric vehicles—such as the Toyota Prius that tops the list—it’s interesting to note the official list of 2006 eligible models (17 in
all) includes nine diesel powered vehicles— some of which are also eligible for the $2,000 rebate.
Ethanol allure
Ethanol is an alcohol-based fuel made from corn (among other things) and was last year’s media darling when the federal environment minister of the time, Rona Ambrose, announced plans to add five per
cent ethanol to every litre of gasoline sold in Canada. While this will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it offered no relief at the
pumps.
What may be of real benefit though is E85 (85 per cent ethanol and just 15 per cent gasoline). This is the current standard in Brazil and the standard the Americans are seriously pushing towards. While we lag behind the US in production and distribution of E85, the vehicles that can use it are already here. According to estimates, there are as many as one million E85 capable cars and trucks already on our roads.
We just need the federal government to create an all-encompassing policy to stimulate the ethanol market. When you look at it from purely an environmental point of view, the information is compelling.
Ethanol is an industrial alcohol made from corn, grain, wood chips or other biomass material. It burns cleaner than gasoline; and
because it’s a completely renewable, domestic product, it’s considered a green fuel.
US government tests have shown E85 vehicles reduce harmful hydrocarbon and benzene emissions when compared to vehicles running on gasoline. It’s also possible E85 could reduce the amount of carbon
dioxide released into the atmosphere.
The reasoning is although carbon dioxide is released during ethanol production and combustion, it’s recaptured as a nutrient by the
crops used in its production, thus completing a cycle. This is unlike fossil fuels whose combustion unlocks carbon that has been stored for millions of years in an inert form.
Gas-electric and diesel-electric hybrid vehicles are also becoming more common, but for industry (with the exception of transit buses) the majority of the products are still a bit pricy. Hopefully, that will change with the introduction of better battery systems and simpler powertrain configurations.
Diesel-electric systems in particular are receiving major research dollars. This should bear fruit by the start of the next decade.
As for the California favorite, hydrogen, without any infrastructure for distribution, high initial investment cost and low mileage per
gallon of fuel, it’s so far off in the future that looking at it now is almost pointless. b2b
Howard Elmer is an automotive journalist based in Brampton, Ont.
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