http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/ Autoblog Comments for More info on GM's diesel plans in the U.S. http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/12/video-in-the-fastlane-iii-bobs-not-big-on-diesels-future-in-t/
(it's the same video).]]>Jul 13th 2007 11:21AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/
Putz is seemingly holding back GM from the big steps it needs to take to get back on the cutting edge of innovation and real-world solutions to conservation and energy independence. That means increasing efficiency and diversifying powertrains: hybrids, electrics, diesels, and fuel cells. Heck, how about turbines? Yutz has been very pessimistic about any kind of progress of late.

A pessimistic executive who is holding back the company shouldn't be retained, he should get the boot. Quit whining about how anything and everything that will make the company more competetive is too expensive, or get lost.

]]>Jul 13th 2007 11:31AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/
Lutz is simply answering a question from someone who seems to believe that diesels will solve all of GMs CAFE problems.

Lutz tries to make it clear that diesels arent the only game in town. And their efficiency is handicapped by emmissions regulations.

Bottom line - GM is pursuing diesel engines of all sizes, dual mode hybrids (started with Allison buses and proceeding to large trucks and SUVs), series hybrids (Volt), homogeneous stratifed charge engines, and hydrogen technology.

In the long run, diesel is not the answer because:

1. It relies on either oil from the mideast or biodiesel which cannot be produced in sufficient quantity without depleting valuable farmland.
2. Emmissions will never be as clean as hydrogen/electric fueled from nukes and/or the sun and other renewables.]]>Jul 13th 2007 11:50AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070712/FREE/70712005/1024]]>Jul 13th 2007 11:38AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/ Thanks Jruhi4.]]>Jul 13th 2007 11:47AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/
Is it a badge engineering job? I.e. did they just slap the same write-up from the paid site to the free site? If so, if that was GM then hell would be paid for badge engineering so blatantly. You know, the folks that pay money for Automotive News deserve a little more than those who don't pay at autoweek don't you think?

LMAO. I know, you guys weren't "trained" to care about it from anyone else but the domestic car companies. Don't worry, I understand.]]>Jul 13th 2007 12:08PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/
Both Automotive News and AutoWeek are owned by the same publisher (Crain Communications, if I'm not mistaken).

Automotive News' website has 3 "classes" of articles: Free for the General Public (these are rare, and mostly major auto show articles), articles for Registered users (mostly posted Tuesday thru Friday), and (the majority): articles for Subscribers only. The latter are usually posted on Mondays.

Crain Communications, however, tends to "give" the new product and consumer-oriented articles among the Monday subscriber articles to "sister" publication AutoWeek, which will usually spread them out on Tuesday thru Friday that same week.]]>Jul 13th 2007 1:13PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/
1 gallon of diesel fuel = 139,000 Btu

How is Lutz going to overcome the fact that diesel fuel contains greater energy than gasoline? Direct ignition and HSC will decrease the gap in efficiency, however, they will not change the energy advantage of diesel fuel. In addition, the direct injection and HSC engines are more costly to produce.

Lutz stated urea is required to meet tier 2 bin 5, Not so for Honda or VW which are both introducing diesel engines that use catalyst to meet t2b5 without the use of urea, and they will do so in vehicles on the market in 2008 calendar year, not GM's 2010.

GM is going to be late to the party, higher cost, and inferior engine technology too!
]]>Jul 13th 2007 11:55AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/I would really like to see the 2.9L V6 make it into the Theta (Outlook/Acadia/Enclave) and the next generation midsize truck.]]>Jul 13th 2007 12:46PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/Jul 13th 2007 3:03PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/
They aren't tough. Tier 5 bin 2 emissions are only as tough as the AVERAGE vehicle sold last year outside the CARB zone!

I think Lutz is right about the future advances of gas engines. It's going to be difficult to sell Diesels in passenger cars once gas engines reach these new levels. As an example. the 2.0 DI Turbo engine in the Solstice Redline gets better mpg than the 2.4 non-turbo in the regular Solstice, despite making 261HP instead of 190HP and having a reduced compression ratio (as it is a turbo). And this engine hasn't even implemented any lean burn (like the compression ignition) yet, partially because until recently the sulfur in our gas prevented even trying any of this.

Henry:
These new higher tech gas engines do cost more than regular gas engines to produce. This is because use things like high pressure fuel rails. However, none of these are things a Diesel doesn't have, so unless you think Diesels are prohibitively expensive right now, it isn't going tomake gas engines prohibitively expensive. In addition, with these techniques it will still be possible to make normally aspirated gas engines that perform very well, unlike with Diesels. Whereas with Diesels, a turbo is strictly necessary to have decent performance without an enormous motor. So these gas engines will still have production cost advantages over Diesels.

As to the BTU difference, there's no way to overcome it. However, the fact that Diesel has more energy means as Diesel demand rises to the higher levels, the price of Diesel will rise to reflect the fact it takes more oil (more HCs) to make a gallon of Diesel than gas. Diesels will get 12% better mpg and a gallon of Diesel will cost about 12% more.

It'll be interesting to see where all this heads. There's going to be a lot of competing technologies out there in the marketplace. I would most like to see one that can use electric energy ever these competing gas, Diesel and ethanol cars. When we get our energy from electricity, we have lots of choices as to how to generate it, instead of depending on the Middle East or on crop yields.

I mean, right now, if I want to get from San Jose to San Francisco, I have lots of options as to how to do it. There's taking a car, a bus and Caltrain (BART doesn't do this route). All of these have one thing in common: ALL are powered by fossil fuels.

We have to break this cycle. If we were to suffer a lack of oil, it would bring things to a stop. I'd ether have to walk or fight over meager supplies of french fry grease to get there. We need to have other ways to get there that can run off electricty, which could then be generated from solar, wind, nukes, even coal. Anything we have at least some control over. Electric cars should be viable, or at least hydrogen buses. And our trains should definitely be electric.]]>Jul 13th 2007 12:39PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/Jul 13th 2007 2:51PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/06/new-accord-diesel-to-hit-60-mpg/]]>Jul 13th 2007 3:05PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/Jul 13th 2007 3:19PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/Nice motor to put in colorado, H3, impaula, laCross and like vehicles.]]>Jul 13th 2007 5:00PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/
Looks like Mr.Lutz regressive "diesel thinking" harkens the old, narrowed thinking ways of old..

Till they realize they/GM had lost again in huge sales $$ to the Europeans and Asian carmakers.

GM seems to like the habit of chasing "leaders" in the industry..

---
p.s.This must reflect the current sad state of American Technology & knowhow..]]>Jul 13th 2007 7:16PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/
1. to the author -- it's Tier 2, Bin 5, not Tier 5 Bin 2.

2. to Guenther (post #9) -- it's Lambda, not Theta, as the platform for the Enclave/Acadia/Outlook.]]>Jul 13th 2007 7:31PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/13/more-info-on-gms-diesel-plans-in-the-u-s/Jul 14th 2007 12:20PM