Turbo Diesel Register

A recent study by the Rand Corporation, a non-profit research organization, found that light trucks and autos powered by advanced diesel technology or hybrid technology can provide larger societal benefits than traditional gasoline-powered automobiles.

John Graham, dean of the Pardee Rand Graduate School and senior author of the research paper said: “Advanced diesel and hybrid technologies show very well in this study, in terms of benefits to the individual and society overall,” Graham said: “E85 (85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline) simply doesn't provide the same benefits.”

The research examines the benefits and costs of three alternatives to the gasoline-powered internal combustion engine for the period between 2010 and 2020: gasoline-electric hybrid technology, advanced diesel technology, and dual-fuel vehicles that are powered continuously by E85.

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With the high cost of developing vehicles, partnerships are probably a necessary evil, or at least a reality, if Chrysler is to survive and prosper. Back in November, 2007 I wrote a blog about Chrysler partnering with Nissan. Following that, Nissan and Chrysler announced they will sell a Chrysler-badged version of the Nissan Versa in South America. Chrysler is also working on a version of its minivan that it will soon begin making for VW, and another small-car project with Chinese manufacturer Chery.

No big deal for Ram enthusiasts, but now there’s more. Several sources report that a second Nissan product partnership is underway. This one involves full-size Ram pickups. Interested now?

Recently, Volkswagen AG and Daimler AG of Germany purchased minority shares in biofuel manufacturer Choren Industries GmbH. (Another minority Choren shareholder is Royal Dutch Shell.) What’s particularly noteworthy about Choren Industries is the fact that it makes what is called "friendly synthetic biofuel" or second-generation biofuel. These second-gen fuels are made from cellulose-containing surplus materials such as woodchips, straw, or plant stalks, rather than from corn, wheat or sugar cane. The big advantage is that they don’t reduce our supply of human or animal foodstuffs, nor increase demand and prices of these commodities.

Already here in North America--although biofuels have not reached the level of popularity as in Europe--price hikes for everything from bread to eggs to meat and poultry are being blamed at least partially on the tightened supply and subsequent higher costs of the grains used to produce foodstuffs.

There is also concern that if grains such as corn are used extensively to produce biofuel, there will be far less reduction in carbon-dioxide compared to petroleum, because of the energy needed to plant, irrigate, harvest and transport the feedstocks to biofuel plants. On the other hand, if waste products such as cornstalks are used and collected while the corn is harvested, there will be considerable savings. Corn may still be used as food for humans or animal feed, while the leftovers are made into biofuel, significantly improving the carbon-dioxide tally.

There’s another interesting angle to this. If the automotive industry controls the price of fuel, it will be to its advantage to hold down prices, to spur vehicle sales. This is the exact opposite of the oil industry.

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Pickup trucks, which are dear to our hearts, have seen a lot of changes over the years—or have they? Yes, the engines are more powerful, they can haul more weight faster, and they coddle their passengers with more amenities and electronic do-dads then ever before. But look at a Ford Model T pickup, and you’ll see the same basic layout, radiator and engine hood out front, followed by a cab and then a cargo bed.

Back in the '50s and ’60s several interesting designs were introduced, such as the Jeep FC-150 and 170 series, VW, Ford Econoline and Dodge A-100 van-based pickups, which all had their engine between driver and passenger, along with the rear-engine Corvair pickups.

These trucks, which are all defunct, provided exceptional packaging efficiency, fitting a lot in a short overall length. One of the tradeoffs was a reduced crush zone to protect the driver in a frontal crash. Since then there has been very little innovation in the basic pickup truck layout. However, today’s need to reduce fuel consumption, combined with increased urban congestion and parking problems, call for us to rethink the basic design of current and future pickups. Perhaps with current technology, including better seatbelts, airbags and computer-aided design, occupant protection in a flat-front pickup could be improved, like it is with the tiny Mercedes Smart car. The front could also slope backwards in an aerodynamic shape.

What do you think needs to be done, and what would you like the pickup truck of the future to be like?

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I just read that the average American driver wastes nearly an entire work week each year sitting in traffic while commuting. Collectively, we sat in traffic jams for a total of 4.2 billion hours in 2005, up from 4 billion the year before according to Texas Traffic Institute's urban mobility report. That works out to an average of around 38 hours per driver.

TTI’s study (http://mobility.tamu.edu) estimated that we wasted 2.9 billion gallons of fuel while stuck in that traffic. Adding up the lost time, traffic delays cost the nation $78.2 billion, the study also estimated. I’m sure that doesn’t include the missed meetings, missed flights and missed business opportunities, nor the stress and road rage it caused.

High fuel costs seem to have cut non-essential driving, but not commuting. According to census data about three-quarters of all commuters drive alone. Los Angeles had the worst congestion, delaying drivers an average of 72 hours last year, followed by Atlanta, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Dallas.
Atlanta, which has the second-worst traffic in the U.S., had some surprising improvement. In 2005, drivers there wasted an average of 60 hours in traffic, down from 70 hours a decade prior. However, the population is growing so fast that planners are having a tough time dealing with the increase in traffic. Atlanta gained 890,000 people from 2000 to 2006, more than any other area in the country.

The study, which summed it up as "Too many people, too many trips over too short of a time period on a system that is too small," offers ways to reduce traffic congestion, including more roads or lanes, better public transportation and flexible work schedules, telecommuting and carpools. It seems like the way things are going, there’s going to be coast-to-coast gridlock.

What do you think needs to happen, and how can it be reasonably achieved?

On August 3 Chrysler’s sale to Cerberus Capital Management was consummated. Cerebrus paid about $7.4 billion for 80 percent of the company, ending a rocky nine-year “marriage of equals” with the former Daimler-Benz company, which had paid $33 billion for the privilege. The last time Chrysler made a profit was in 2005, when it made $1.8 billion. A dismal 2006 with a loss of $618 million led to its eventual sale.

Chrysler announced that it will return to using its traditional pentastar logo and is replacing signage. The sale also makes Chrysler the first U.S. auto manufacturer held privately since 1956, when Ford went public.

The next shoe to drop was the hiring of Robert (Bob) Nardelli, who has been named chairman of the New Chrysler Group. Nardelli left Home Depot back in January under pressure from stockholders. He was averaging $25.7 million per year compensation and received an amazing $210 million severance package. According to early unconfirmed reports, Nardelli took the new job at Chrysler for $1 per year, with any additional income based on financial improvements.

As a Detriot outsider, union leaders are nervous about Nardelli, who is said to have demonstrated an aggressive, headstrong, arrogant style in the past that has alienated both union and white-collar employees. Some rumors have Chrysler Vice-chairman and President Tom LaSorda, who now is number two under Nardelli, quitting Chrysler as a result. However, LaSorda’s public statements don’t show this. LaSorda has a strong automotive background and seems to do well with the unions. Union cooperation is essential to Chrysler’s success, so this is an important piece of the puzzle.

Both Nardelli and LaSorda seem to agree on the major goals for saving Chrysler: Cutting excess production capacity, raising product quality and expanding in international markets. Chrysler is saddled with about $18 billion in retiree costs, so they still have to cut costs and maximize profits.

We hope everybody can get along and get on with this immense task at hand.

Just when I thought we could start thinking about something beside Chrysler’s change of ownership, this came along. Ford has announced that its Land Rover and Jaguar divisions are for sale, and Cerberus, the firm that just bought a controlling interest in Chrysler, is said to be among the possible buyers.

Ford’s desperate financial situation is forcing the sale; Jaguar and Land Rover could possibly be sold for $1.5 billion or less. That is much cheaper than the $5.5 billion Ford originally paid for the two companies and it has lost billions more on them in the ensuing years.

The good news is that the Land Rover and Jaguar brands may be priced right and a good match for Chrysler. Jaguar could give Chrysler a premium car brand and Land Rover’s high-end SUVs could slot in above Jeep.

The bad news is, if Cerberus isn’t successful, it could bring down Chrysler and our beloved Dodge brand as well. There are a lot of challenges. It is very costly to develop new vehicles and efficient drivetrains, especially now with strict emission regulations, super-clean diesels and complex hybrids. The only way to contain costs would be to share components with Chrysler products, but this dilutes the premium brand’s reputation, as we’ve seen before. If Land Rover and Jaguar couldn’t make it on their own, and couldn’t make it under Ford’s control, how can we expect them to make it now?