“New rules go into effect on Sunday that require fuel makers to produce a much cleaner diesel”

Automobile manufacturers are in the process of moving to more efficient engines, ahead of US legislation that will go into effect on Sunday, demanding cleaner diesel that is almost completely free of sulfur.

From an article in the Houston Chronicle:

Next January, automakers will roll out engine systems equipped with exhaust-scrubbing technologies that work in tandem with the cleaner fuel to reduce soot and smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions.

Diesel engines are popular worldwide in commercial vehicles and among heavy-duty pickup drivers because of their power and fuel economy _ they are typically 20 to 30 percent more efficient than conventional gasoline engines. That greater efficiency also makes diesel quite attractive to ordinary drivers in Europe, where fuel taxes are much higher than in the U.S. and diesel-powered cars make up half the passenger-vehicle market.

Are car buyers ready to purchase cars that run on diesel fuel, given the public memory of the smelly, inefficient diesel-powered vehicle of yesteryear? It remains to be seen. The image of diesel clearly needs a makeover if diesel-powered engines are to go mainstream in the States.