diesel

Photos: Audi Q5 and VW Touareg TDI

Volkswagen got a lot of mileage out of its 3-liter turbocharged V-6 diesel engine at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. It appeared in the Touareg TDI and the Audi Q5 TDI, signaling Volkswagen's launch of diesel SUVs in the U.S. This engine uses a complex emissions system that lets Volkswagen and Audi sell the vehicles in all 50 states. A particulate filter gets rid of the bigger stuff, while a solution called AdBlue breaks down nitrogen oxide emissions. Also on hand was the much more powerful TDI-powered Volkswagen Baja 1000 competitor.

See photos of the Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q5 TDIs. … Read more

'Green Car Journal' announces 2009 Green Car of the Year

LOS ANGELES--The Green Car Journal gave its 2009 Green Car of the Year award to the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. This year's list of nominees included the BMW 335d, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid, and Smart ForTwo. The Jetta TDI uses a 2-liter, turbocharged, diesel, four-cylinder engine to achieve an EPA-rated 41mpg highway fuel economy and 30mpg city. Volkswagen's new clean diesel technology makes the car legal in all 50 states, meeting California's stringent Air Resources Board requirements, under which is qualifies as a SULEV, or Super … Read more

Five finalists for LA Auto Show Green Car of the Year

Five finalists were announced for the 2008 LA Auto Show's Green Car of the Year award. Only one of them can be crowned king, but which will it be?

There are a broad range of green technologies represented in this year's field: clean diesels, gasoline-electric hybrids, and a tiny, thrifty gasoline engine.

Will the winner be the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which we've heard so much about over the past few months? Perhaps it will be the newly announced BMW 335d, with its 50-state-compliant clean diesel? Representing gas-electric hybrids are the Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid and the … Read more

Amyris opens plant to make diesel from sugar cane

Amyris Biotechnologies on Wednesday announced the opening of a pilot facility in Emeryville, Calif., that turns sugar cane into diesel fuel through genetically designed microbes.

The company is at the forefront of a commercial movement to use biotechnology to convert plants into fuels that resemble petroleum-based hydrocarbons.

Amyris' technique is to genetically engineer a yeast that can metabolize sugar into the desired molecules. Its first effort was to develop a malaria vaccine, which it continues to do, and it has since developed a focus on renewable fuels.

"We're engineering the yeast, reprogramming it from making alcohols to making … Read more

Photos: Hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles

We were recently given the opportunity to kick the tires of a wide variety of hybrid electric and alternative fuel vehicles.

There were a few clean diesels, including a CR-V with a 2.2-liter four cylinder that we should see reach production in a diesel variant of the 2010 Acura TSX. Ford brought out its hydrogen fuel cell, Focus, and a pair of hybrids, one of which was a plug-in model.

According to Ed Kjaer, a representative from Southern California Edison, plugging in electric hybrid vehicles on an overnight cycle is better for the electric grid, because it evens out … Read more

Volvo plans diesel hybrid by 2012

PARIS--Volvo Car Corp. will introduce a diesel hybrid in 2012 if not sooner, while start-stop technology will arrive in 2009, company executives said here at the auto show.

The hybrids will be sold in Europe and the United States.

The start-stop technology, which turns off the engine at stops, will be introduced on Volvo's smaller cars, such as the C30, S40, and V50. Later, start-stop will be spread to the rest of the lineup.

Diesel hybrids will appear first in the larger sedans, crossovers, and SUVs.

Volvo's hybrids will be able to operate on battery power alone at … Read more

Couple sets Guinness record for around-the-country fuel economy

Twenty days, 48 states, and 9,419 miles after leaving Bluefield, Va., John and Helen Taylor arrived in West Virginia as Guinness World Record holders for fuel economy around the country. The Volkswagen- and Shell Oil-sponsored trip was completed in a showroom stock 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI and 11.04 tanks of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel. The hypermiling couple finished with an official 58.82 U.S. mpg, which averages out to 6.9 cents per mile.

The Taylors credit smooth driving and proper vehicle maintenance, amongst other techniques, for their record-setting fuel economy.

Edited: Thanks to our astute readers … Read more

2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, the first 50-state clean diesel

The new Jetta TDI is not only important for Volkswagen, it's important for the future of diesel-powered passenger cars in the U.S. It's the first diesel to be available in all 50 states in recent years, and with prices starting at $21,990, it's the least expensive. While diesels have over 50% of that market in some parts of Europe, their presence here is negligible, restricted to cult status.

VW, and the diesel industry, are hoping to change that. Diesel engines and the fuel itself are undergoing changes analogous to those that happened to the gasoline … Read more

ConceptFascination hints at future of Mercedes E-Class

Fresh on the heels of the reveal of the C250 BlueEfficiency, Mercedes gives us a peek at the future of the E-Class with the ConceptFascination. As the name indicates, we are only looking at a concept. However, with the still handsome, but slightly dated looking, E-Class due for a refresh, we can expect at least the broad strokes of the concept to translate to production.

Under the hood, the ConceptFascination is powered by the same new 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel engine that will be introduced on the C250 BlueEfficiency. Mercedes has already made public its intentions to use this engine … Read more