Pet peeve: "clean diesel" greenwashing

[niky]

They decided in 1932 that they needed to find a way to use all that urea, so they started pushing urea injection nearly 100 years later? Took them long enough.

[WD40]

The ad was for a Saab cleaning the exhaust from an older Saab
Video: Saab Trionic actually cleans the air

[Diesel_Dave]

Originally Posted by undata

I've been operating a clean diesel for fifteen years.

15 years ago (1997) the diesel NOx emissions standards were 25 times higher than today. PM standards were 5 times higher than today.

"Clean diesel" generally refers to ULSD fuel--which didn't exist in the US until 5 years ago (2007).

I'm not sure how you had a "clean diesel" 15 years ago.

[gone-ot]

...pardon my warped humor, but isn't "Clean Diesel" an automotive euphemism for "gold-plated dog pooh" where the purpose of the first word is to obscure the reality of the second word? Sorta like "Safe Radiation"?

[TheEnemy]

Thats along the same line of "clean coal". I had a discussion with someone who worked for an electric company. He said that the way the regulations are written that its emissions/KWH, and that it is totaled for the entire company, so if they have several clean plants they can still have a coal power plant with little to no emissions controls spewing all kinds of crap into the air.

While they can be relatively clean as per their advertisements, coal power plants often aren't.

[UFO]

The only "clean" diesel is what I use, BIODIESEL.

[ron]

you can always buy a carbon credit . remember those (any old running registered auto, 700$ each here in CA.) spew all the crap ya want ,Just take an old tank off the road its cheaper than upgrading a plant

[undata]

Originally Posted by Diesel_Dave

15 years ago (1997) the diesel NOx emissions standards were 25 times higher than today. PM standards were 5 times higher than today.

"Clean diesel" generally refers to ULSD fuel--which didn't exist in the US until 5 years ago (2007).

I'm not sure how you had a "clean diesel" 15 years ago.

Because I bought a 1997 VW Passat TDI. The engine is still running great on the ULSD fuel. I just don't wreck up my cars as fast as most people, so I can't always have the very latest thing. It is a hell of a lot cleaner than truck engines.

[Diesel_Dave]

Originally Posted by undata

It is a hell of a lot cleaner than truck engines.

Actually, no. A 2012 semi truck produces quite a bit lower emissions than your 1997 car does--even in a g/mile basis. Look it up yourself:
DieselNet: Diesel Exhaust Emission Standards

1997 would have been the end of Tier 1. The standards for diesel passenger cars was NOx of 1.25 g/mi and PM of 0.1 g/mi on the FTP 75 test.

Heavy duty trucks are engine-certified (not vehicle-certified) on the FTP test. Current standards are 0.2 g/hp-hr for NOx and 0.01 g/hp-hr for PM. If you assume a typical cruise condition for a semi truck of 250 hp and 65 miles per hour that works out to be NOx of 0.77 g/mi and PM of 0.04 g/mi.

So your 15 year old passenger car puts out roughly double the emissions of a 2012 semi truck.

[TheEnemy]

Would you believe I have had discussions with younger people that think we are not making any progress in air quality. Of course they don't remember LA having a permanent brown haze over it. We still have a ways to go but things are much better than they were.