New gas engines rated nearly pollution-free Sentra, Accord use a low-sulfur fuel

USA Today ^ | Sept 6,2002 | James R. Healey

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Gasoline engines now in production can be nearly pollution-free, a California university engineering laboratory reports after three years of study.

The finding suggests Americans can enjoy much cleaner air without the high price of electric cars.

''You won't get to zero (emissions), but you will get pretty close,'' says Joseph Norbeck, director of the facility that performed the challenging tests at the University of California-Riverside.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

correction: I believe the correct date is Sept 5, 2002.

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[doug from upland]

Besides spending most of my time fighting the terrorist bastards with SSAF, I also work with Green Car Group that put on the event at UC Riverside. These vehicles are great. What comes out of the tailpipe in the Sentra and Accord is cleaner than the ambient air. I hope the United States takes the lead in fuel cells and that must go forward, but this technology for ICEs is wonderful. A big salute to ChevronTexaco for their advances.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

You mean you are one of those "NASTY enviromentalists?"

I am shocked! /LOL!!

[uncbob]

Environmental Wackos will find some other reason to ban cars

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Have you got some links for Green Car Group and anything else on the technology that Nissan and Honda have developed?

[stop_fascism]

What is the performance of these engines like when compared to a "regular" engine. Are there trade-offs?

[okie01]

"These vehicles are great. What comes out of the tailpipe in the Sentra and Accord is cleaner than the ambient air."

This is wonderful news. But it won't have any lasting impact on the enviro-whackos.

After all, they want more than "clean air". They will still want our cars. Because what they are really after is our freedom!

[mewzilla]

How problematic is this, though? Don't different grades of oil have different sulfur contents? Do you need a special kind of oil? How much more will it cost to refine? Will existing refineries will able to do this, or will they have to retool their refineries? This sounds great, but the devil is in the details.

[pabianice]

That shrieking noise you hear is EcoFreaks losing their favorite demon...

[ovrtaxt]

Because what they are really after is our freedom!

Yep. It's not about the environment. It's about CONTROL.

[doug from upland]

It is impossible to be as right wing as I am and be an envirowhacko. It seems clear to me that we do have an obligation to our children to make this a better place. That doesn't mean we need to stifle business. The U.S. must stay on the cutting edge in technology. I want the fuel cell technology here, and we should be the leader.

[doug from upland]

I noticed no performance difference.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From the article we have this:

For now, the promising technology is limited to California because to work right, the engines require low-sulfur gasoline that is widely available only there.

Crude oil comes in many different qualities.

Oil from Venezula is very high in Sulfur.

[mewzilla]

That's what I wondered. So won't oil like that cost more to refine? And then won't the cost of oil with a lower sulfur content go up? Is the latter as available as oil with a high(er) sulfur content? And the article never said if lowering the sulfur content will cost a lot more. And if our refineries can do that, and if we have enough refinery capacity to do it a lot.

[doug from upland]

www.greencars.com

I write much of the printed industry newsletter that goes out every month.

Here's a UCR press release with some good info on the Honda -- CLICK.

[another cricket]

I also work with Green Car Group that put on the event at UC Riverside.

So maybe you can answer my questions about this. Is low-sulfur gasoline more expensive to make? What kind of re-tooling will be need for refineries to produce low sulfur gasoline? Or does it need to come from certain places like low sulfur coal?

Does this come at the cost of engine power? Would it work with say an eight cylinder as well as four? Can we just replace the engine or certain parts of the engine to have this advantage or do you have to buy a new car? What kind of fuel economy can you get?

This just sounds too good to be true.

a.cricket

[Balding_Eagle]

While this car may not produce any emissions, it will still produce a profit for the manufacturer.

THAT will make it unacceptable to the Greens.

Destruction of capitalism is the goal.

Eviromentalism is only the tool.

[basil]

Good luck on getting the whackos to allow new, or even retooled refineries.

[Dog Gone]

Environmental Wackos will find some other reason to ban cars

I think they already have. I have to assume that this vehicle still emits carbon dioxide, which the California Legislature, in its infinite wisdom, has decided is a greenhouse gas that is unacceptable.

I doubt this car meets the standards which they have set for new cars in 2009, if I recall correctly.