Challenge
We were busy "finding ourselves" over taco salads and frozen yogurt in the cafeteria during our college years, but the mechanical-engineering students (and faculty) at San Diego State University have wasted no time in making a difference. They have created a high-performance, low-emissions engine: a GM 1.9L turbocharged common-rail diesel.
The project was part of Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility (although we prefer its shortened name to that sleeper), a General Motors and Department of Energy-sponsored competition set up to basically reengineer an '05 Chevy Equinox into a more environmentally friendly sport ute-or, more specifically, to reduce energy consumption, decrease emissions, and maintain the performance of the stock vehicle. The brainiacs say the hybrid-electric powertrain they built will crank out 400 hp and meet the hardcore '07 emissions standards. (FYI, the stock Equinox had a 3.4L V-6 gas engine that made just 185 horses-showoffs.)
Challenge X: Yada, Yada, Yada is a 3-year competition, and competitors are halfway through the second year. The first dealt with modeling, simulation, and testing of the powertrain, while this year has involved integrating the masterpiece onto the Equinox body. The last year will focus on improving the system and making it "showroom ready."
Diesel Versus Hybrid: Round 4,353
TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence has completed a new study that claims that while Toyota and Honda own the hybrid market, the other automakers aren't smoking dope by pursuing diesel power instead. "Hybrid vehicles are gaining broader appeal among Americans, but a majority are also aware of the benefits of diesel-powered vehicles, which presents a strategic conundrum for the auto industry," said Raghavan Mayer, the president of AutoView, the auto arm of TechnoMetrica.
So, the conundrum?
It involves the American perception. Americans seem to think hybrids lack power and performance, as well as being difficult to service, while the diesel rep is of reliability and that these engines have the same or better performance over a gas mill. Plus, there's the fuel efficiency. But-and you knew a but was around the bend-people still can't get it through their thick skulls that diesel engines aren't smoky or noisy anymore, which is why demand is still not where it should be. Hence, conundrum.
Subaru Decides to Go Diesel Before Hybrid
Reuters is claiming that Fuji Heavy Industries, which is both mother and father to Subaru, is developing a diesel engine, most likely as an option for the European Legacy model. Since the company is borrowing Toyota's technology for hybrid cars, "Diesel engine development and production are going to be our priority," claimed Chief Exec Kyoji Takenaka. He said he expected that by 2010, half of Subaru's European sales would be fueled by diesel, and that one-third of Subaru's total all-wheel-drive models would switch to diesel. He also predicted the powertrain would one day account for 10 to 20 percent of total car sales in Japan and the United States.
Because of the asymmetrical all-wheel drivetrain, Subaru would be able to build the engines on the same line as the gasoline engines, which would keep costs lower. Subaru is not entirely sure what it's going to do with the Toyota technology, but hybrid vehicles wouldn't come out until after the diesels.
A Submarine!
We'll find any excuse to run cool stuff on these pages, even if we're grasping at straws for why it's justified-which is why this month we came up with a reason to run a sub. Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $17.4 million contract for systems engineering and integration service in support of the U.S. Navy's Combat System Warfare Federated Tactical Systems, which manages the technical products integrated into submarine combat systems. They say accelerating the delivery of capabilities to the submarine force means Lockheed Martin will leverage the same technology insertion process that the company pioneered on the U.S. Navy's Acoustic Rapid COTS Insertion program. This enables capabilities to be leveraged across a wide range of submarine classes, including diesel-electric submarines, on the global market. You think: Um, OK, that sounds great. We think: Hey! Submarine!
Bonus Incentive for Power Stroke Owners?
Automotive News is noting that Ford is offering $2,500 toward the purchase of a new diesel truck-if you own an '03-'04 F-series Super Duty stuffed with a 6.0L Power Stroke. This is said to be a make-good (read: customer loyalty) for the troubles the engine has been giving to owners, which we reported in the May '06 issue as being a result of a wiring-harness problem that caused rough idle, stalling, and lack of power. About 250,000 customers are eligible for the bonus.
New Diesel Fuel for the DoD
O2Diesel Corp is under contract to develop a cleaner-burning alternative diesel fuel for the U.S. Department of Defense. The fuel will have at least 20 percent of its ingredients as renewable sources-which will include the company's secret sauce, a patented natural oil-based solubilizing additive called O2D05. Expect the name to change if it is a successful product.
"If we had a light-duty vehicle population that was one-third diesels, that could save up to 1.4 million barrels of oil per day in the U.S., the amount of oil the U.S. currently imports from Saudi Arabia."
-A quote from Margo Oge, head of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality at the EPA. It was said in 2004 but whipped out recently by Diesel Technology Forum in preparation for the Energy Information Administration's 2006 Summer Motor Outlook and Short-Term Energy Outlook, which is designed to forecast gas and diesel prices for the summer. Got all that?
Borg-Warner and the EPA
The powertrain supplier and the government agency will be working together to develop advanced air-management technology so that the auto and trucking industries can use the EPA's Clean Diesel Combustion (DCD) High-Efficiency Gasoline combustion science. Translation: creating products that will have lower emissions "and the best potential for commercialization." Normally, commercialization sounds like selling out, but in this case it's all good news.