Diesels Weighed for Fuel-Saving Potential

SEE ALSO: Editorial - Where are the Electric-Diesel Hybrids?

Washington DC February 21, 2008; The AIADA newslettter reported that a panel of outside experts advising federal regulators about available technologies for improving fuel economy will include light-duty diesel engines in its final report. The panel was asked by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to update a 2001 study of fuel-saving technologies.

In an interim report made public today, the panel said developments in emission controls indicate that modern diesels will be able to comply with U.S. clean-air regulations.

Diesels were left out of the earlier study because they could not meet clean-air standards. Automotive News reports that the potential of diesel engines to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 30 to 40 percent over comparable gasoline engines justifies their inclusion on the list of available technologies.

A final report is due by mid-2008.