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Already I have seen more of the GM 3.0 diesel trucks in the wild than F150s, and I still blame Ford for not marketing this great deisel engine truck. This artilce discussed some things I didn't know and some I did.
Why No Diesel Cars in the U.S.? And, Why is Diesel So Popular Abroad?
Why No Diesel Cars in the U.S.? And, Why is Diesel So Popular Abroad?
For example, diesel vehicles make up a half or more of all the vehicles in Europe.
Taking into account the monetary value of diesel cars and pickups, it makes absolutely no sense that only 5% of the cars and small to medium size pickups on U.S. highways are diesel. Nevertheless, it is absolutely the case. There are virtually no diesel cars nor small or medium-sized pickups that run on diesel in the U.S.
Diesel engines can last twice as long as a spark-fired gasoline combustion engine. Diesel engines get between 25% and 35% better fuel efficiency than gasoline engines in vehicles of comparable size. And until recently, diesel was considerably less expensive than gasoline. Diesel would still be if the U.S. Government did not tax it at a rate 25% higher than that of gasoline.
The most important advantage of diesel engines? Diesel engines pollute less than gasoline. So, why haven’t cars and small and medium-sized pickups with diesel engines ever caught on in the United States?
A recent assessment by the American Petroleum Institute, an oil industry trade group, found that federal taxes accounted for 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel but only 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline.
Traditional diesel engines emitted far fewer pollutants into the air than their gasoline counterparts. But just as there is a higher tax rate on diesel than there is on gasoline, the emissions standards for diesel engines are considerably higher than those for gasoline engines. That makes manufacturing diesel engines expensive.
Americans Don’t Understand the Value of Diesel Engines
In the United Kingdom, where about half the drivers are in diesel vehicles, it is no secret that diesel engines get considerably better fuel efficiency. It is no secret that diesel produces far less emissions. But in the United States, where 95% of the passenger vehicles purchased are gasoline, people simply don’t know how much better diesel engines are for their pocketbooks and for the environment.
To make matters worse, the press does nothing to tout the benefits of diesel.