New diesel technology looks set to take on the hybrid powertrain as the U.S. government rushes to force car makers to improve fuel consumption. Legislation is in the works for an amendment requiring cars and trucks to meet a combined fuel economy average of 35 mpg by 2020 – a 40 percent increase from today’s vehicles.
Of the 18 million vehicles sold in the U.S. each year, about half a million are diesel powered, the majority of them pick-up trucks. Investment bank UBS and British-based engineering consultancy Ricardo believe that this figure will rocket to 1.5 million diesels a year by 2012 and overtake hybrids, which are predicted to reach 1.2 million units a year by the same point.
The U.S. has discouraged the use of diesel as a car fuel for many years. Indeed, ultra-stringent pollution regulations set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) mean that is currently impossible to sell or register new diesel vehicles in California, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont.
While Toyota’s impeccably green hybrids look set to reap the benefits of a shifting political landscape, the report suggests that the new generation of European diesel engines, designed to meet America’s ultra-strict BIN 5 emissions regulations, could be a more cost-effective choice for U.S. buyers.
Source: SpeedTV
