LAS VEGAS, May 13 /PRNewswire/ — When consumers understand the advantages of today’s clean diesel power, it turns conventional thinking about diesel on its head, explained Gale Banks, chief executive officer of Gale Banks Engineering, and a featured speaker at the Alternative Fuels & Vehicles National Conference + Expo. The conference runs through Wednesday, May 14, at the Rio All-Suite Hotel.

“With clean diesel power, drivers can have approximately 30 percent better fuel economy and 50 percent more torque, as well as reduce emissions by up to 25 percent, when compared to gasoline-powered passenger car engines. With clean diesel no longer are fuel economy and performance mutually exclusive,” Banks said.
(more…)

5. The cost to turn a car into a Flex-Fuel or E-85 (85% Ethanol and 15% Gasoline) car is only about $200 for a manufacturer. E-85 is a bit more corrosive to some of the standard rubber and metal parts, but still the cheapest way to go “green”. The problem is ethanol contains slightly less energy than gasoline(whereas diesel has slightly more than gas) and so you need about 20%-30% more fuel running through your injectors for the vehicle to run on E-85 . If you try and run E-85 in a vehicle not designed to run E-85 you’ll see your Check Engine light come on in all its glory. Your car’s computer is telling you that the vehicle is running lean (meaning not enough fuel). I thought being “green” was all about being efficient? Ethanol is obviously not the most efficient way to go. Although I think biodiesel is up to the task.

From news.com

Following announcements from EcoMotors and Transonic Combustion, San Diego’s Achates Power has said on its Web site that it’s creating a clean, light, fuel-efficient diesel engine.

The company has also received investments from Sequoia Capital, a relative newcomer to energy investments, Rockport Capital Partners and Interwest Partners. (VentureWire has a brief interview with Achates CEO James Lemke.)

Achates has not said how its engine will work, the company has three patent applications on file with the U.S. Patent Office. Two of the patents describe what’s known as an opposed piston/opposed cylinder engine. In this type of engine, two pistons sit inside a single cylinder. That makes it different than most other motors where pistons have individual cylinders. (Some car makers have made engines with horizontal pistons, similar to an opposed piston engine, but they have their own cylinders.)

PARADE magazine and the Network for Good are co-sponsoring a contest that could help the Biodiesel Foundation win $50,000 for biodiesel education efforts. The eight organizations that either raise the most money or have the greatest number of donors will receive $50,000.

Time is of the essence, and the National Biodiesel Foundation (a 501-C3 organization) needs your help today. Please consider giving a tax-deductible gift of at least $10 to the Foundation by Jan. 31st. If the Foundation can get 1000 people to donate $10, it will be in a good position to win.

Please donate to the National Biodiesel Foundation by January 31, 3:00 PM EST. Donate here and follow the steps as directed.

In this installment it goes into more of the racing of diesel. How it can win races because of its fuel economy and how Gale Banks is trying to turn diesel into the “cool” thing. In the end he talks about the basics of do-it-yourself upgrades and how they can be beneficial which I’m sure anyone reading this already knows. Again I wish they wouldn’t mute out all the engine sounds, but it’s still great that such a popular site is doing this series.

Acura will introduce the new i-DTEC clean diesel engine to the North American market in 2009. The i-DTEC engine reduces noxious exhaust emissions while boosting power and fuel efficiency. A combination of optimized combustion chamber design and reduced injection time results in a clean, quiet engine that delivers excellent performance for an enjoyable driving experience. In addition, the i-DTEC engine meets the ultra-stringent U.S. EPA Tier II Bin 5 emission standards without the on-board storage of urea.

Wolfsburg, 20 December 2007 - The bestseller shifts up a gear. Following sales of around 1 million units, Volkswagen’s intelligent DSG automatic gearbox is now not only available with six, but also with seven gears. The first 7-speed DSG is now available for the Golf and Golf Plus with the 1.4 TSI and 1.9 TDI engines. This represents a milestone in the gearbox strategy of the Volkswagen Group.

Diesel meets pop culture. One of my favorite blogs to read, BoingBoing, is starting a series covering the greener way of racing starring the Banks Sidewinder. If you like diesel, and somehow don’t know about the Sidewinder already, it’s a 650hp / 800ft-lbs Duramax powered GMC truck that can run at 5000rpms! Watch the video to learn more.

- Just 4.9 litres per 100 km – the new Audi A4 2.0 TDI e Concept
- The world’s cleanest diesel in the new Audi A4 and in the Audi Q7
- More powerful yet more efficient – the latest generation hybrid module

More dynamism with less and less fuel consumption – Audi is pursuing a consistent strategy to achieve further reductions in emissions. With three concepts that are virtually ready for series production, Audi is using the IAA to present the technology of the near future. The new A4 2.0 TDI e Concept consumes just 4.9 litres of fuel for 100 kilometres, and thus represents a milestone in the sporty middle class. The world’s cleanest diesel engine will enter series production in 2008 in the new A4 3.0 TDI with ultra low emission system. The latest generation of hybrid module makes use of the superior parallel hybrid construction and of state-of-the-art technologies such as lithium ion batteries.