Diesel
US Appeals Court: $10 Billion VW Settlement Stands
Any hope VW had of avoiding a $10.03 billion payout to owners of its emissions-cheating diesel cars were dashed Monday, when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a number of the company’s objections to the settlement. The settlement, originally reached in 2016, is meant to appease the owners of nearly 500,000 polluting diesel vehicles. In their judgement, the three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit said that the settlement, “delivered tangible, substantial benefits to class members, seemingly the equivalent of — or superior to — those obtainable after successful litigation, and was arrived at after a momentous effort.” All of which is to say that it seemed pretty fair to them. So far, it looks like VW will be on the hook for as much as $25 b...
Death of Diesel: Volvo Says No to New Diesel S60
Volvo has been leading the way recently with a carbon neutral engine factory in Ghent, Belgium and a commitment to electrify its entire model range from 2019 on. So, Volvo is committed to doing good stuff- but it’s also going stop doing bad stuff. In that spirit, Volvo Cars have announced that they will not be offering a diesel version of their mainstream S60 sedan when that model gets redesigned next year. That’s huge! It’s not just a big deal in light of Volkswagen’s multi-billion dollar criminal fraud case for diesel emissions, either. It’s huge because the S60 diesel has been one of the company’s hottest sellers. Pulling the plug can mean only one thing: Volvo is serious about going green. Check out the official press release, below, then let us know...
Diesel Greenwashing Campaign In Europe Doesn’t Add Up
The German automakers want to slow down tougher emissions rules for diesel cars because they have lower carbon dioxide emissions and besides, nobody really wants to buy electric cars. Neither is true.
Britain Proposes Ban On Internal Combustion Vehicles After 2040
Following in the footsteps of France, the British government is proposing to ban all cars and light trucks with internal combustion engines after 2040.
France Plans To Ban Sale Of Cars With Internal Combustion Engines By 2040
France has announced a plan to ban the sale of cars with internal combustion engines by 2040 as part of its commitment to the goals of the Paris climate accords.
Volvo Quits Diesel, Shifts its Focus to Electrification
Volvo Quits Diesel development. The Chinese-owned company now Shifts its Focus to electrification and hybridization for the future.
Four World Cities Plan To Ban Diesel Cars And Trucks
The mayors of four major world cities have announced plans to ban diesel powered vehicles from the streets of their cities by the year 2025.
Glycerin Powers Diesel Generators For Formula E Race Teams
It stands to reason that Formula E, the world’s only open wheel racing series that uses electric race cars, would want the electricity that charges the batteries in those cars to be as green as possible. Oddly enough, Formula E uses two large diesel generators mounted in a shipping container for easy portability for that purpose. Huh? Formula E cars are charged by diesels? How does that compute? Actually, it computes just fine because the diesels don’t run on fossil fuel or even bio-diesel. Instead, they run on glycerine, itself a by-product of bio-fuel production. Usually used in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, it came to the attention of Paul Day, the CEO of Aquafuel Research Ltd, when supply began to exceed demand several years ago. “If sustainability means anyt...
The 240SX Turbodiesel Begs “What if?”
All manner of motors have been dropped into the Nissan 240SX, but this is the first time I’ve seen a 240SX powered by a Cummins 4BT turbodiesel engine.
2015 Cadillac Escalade Could Get Turbodiesel
GM is considering adding a turbodiesel V6 to the 2015 Cadillac Escalade, as well as a sporty twin-turbo V6 model.
Toyota Tundra Could Get Either Cummins Diesel Or Hybrid; Why Not Both?
Despite the fact that American automakers dominate the full-size truck market, both Nissan and Toyota have made a go at earning a slice of that pie. The Nissan Frontier has upped the ante with a 5.0 liter Cummins V8 turbodiesel available starting next year, which has Toyota pondering either a diesel or hybrid option for its own full-size pickup. I say do both.
Flashback Friday: The BMW Diesel-Powered Lincoln Mark VII
In the early 80s American automakers were caught flat-footed by yet another oil crisis and serious inflation woes. This led to the rapid deployment of diesel cars, which no American automaker had any experience with. While GM developed an awful diesel V8 on its own, Ford paired with BMW to offer a line of diesel-powered Lincoln Mark VII coupes that are today valued more for their rarity than performance.