GM's Bob Lutz gets it right that electric is the future, but then dumps on diesel with bad facts

[papau]

GM's Bob Lutz gets it right that electric is the future, but then dumps on diesel with bad facts.

Some days it is hard to understand GM. It seems the Bob Lutz http://money.cnn.com/2007/07/13/autos/lutz_on_diesel/index.htm
has done a dump on diesel saying you get only a 15% improvement in mileage for an extra $5,000 per car once you add American required emission controls http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/archives/2007/07/checking_back_w.html#comments.

He makes a big deal about tier II Bin 5 which he says can be met, and then rants about the even more harsh and difficult to meet California's 1998 LEV II (as amended to LEV 2B) NOX rules - but I thought LEV II and tier II Bin 5 were the same - am I missing something here? Indeed how different are we from Euro 5 emission regulations - as we now have rules requiring Euro quality diesel fuel in the US so as to get better emissions results, how difficult is Lev II really? Is there some California LEV III rules coming into effect that I do not know about?

In any case we need the bio-diesel two-mode (GM's term for a transmission using two sets of gears: One for the internal combustion engine and another to multiply the power of a pair of electric motors) plug in hybrid. Why is the GM plug in E-Flex hybrid not going to be available with a small diesel?

It appears simply making the diesel engine smaller producing less NOx use a NOx catalyst allows it to pass the Euro 5 emission tests, so what is the problem?

As to larger diesels, the urea system with its extra tank of urea to fill up seems GM's direction and that does produce better mialage than Honda's less efficient/less mileage LNT/PCCI (Lean NoX traps (LNT) and premixed charge compressed ignition (PCCI) - a rich-fuel during one NOx catalysis mode -for emission control) and the advanced controls that system needs to deal with the widely varying Cetane numbers in US Diesel fuel - But I like the no extra tank for urea to fill - just my 2 cents.

Perhaps Lutz could focus on B20 BioDiesel with its better fuel economy than Petroleum Diesel and with less emission - rather than trying to get urea tanks set up through out the US.

Perhaps Lutz is afraid of the lack of money to be made from repairing/replacing non-aluminum diesel engines - getting 250,000 miles might screw up the business plan for GM - indeed anyone want to bet against GM introducing an aluminum diesel - just so they can prove that they can make a diesel can have as many after sales costs as a gas engine?

[skids]

1. I'd be real interested to know what one of these...

http://www.chechfi.ca

...does to the cost equation of diesel emissions systems. As well as TDI and ULSD.

[papau]

2. $15,000 for a hydrogen on demand system seems to need 300 gal per month vehicle to cost justify n/t

n/t

[skids]

3. Where is $15k coming from?

CHEC's unit seems to go for $4k, which is probably way above manufacturer's cost, as I'm betting there is still quite a margin there.

(On edit I figured out where you got it -- $15k is the price for a big rig or bus system. $4k is the price for a light truck.)