New Report Finds US Falls Behind Europe In Use of Clean Diesel Cars

    WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 The United States and Europe are taking
very different approaches to the use of clean diesel technology to improve
fuel economy in passenger cars and light-duty trucks, according to a report
released today by the Diesel Technology Forum.
    The report, "Demand for Diesels:  The European Experience," highlights the
dramatic differences in clean diesel technology use and consumer acceptance of
light-duty automotive applications between the two continents.
    "We can learn a great deal here in the US from the European experience
with clean automotive diesels, and this report profiles the experiences and
policies that have led to these successes," according to Allen Schaeffer,
executive director of the Washington, DC-based Diesel Technology Forum.
    The recent National Academy of Sciences report evaluating fuel economy
standards noted the possibilities for reducing petroleum consumption with the
use of clean diesel technologies:

    "direct-injection diesel engines are among engine technologies with
    high-potential for improved fuel consumption ... and the application of
    small, turbocharged direct injection diesel engines has seen tremendous
    expansion in passenger cars and light-duty trucks in Europe." (1)

    The contrast in diesel usage between the U.S. and Europe is stark: In
Europe -- one of every three new cars sold today is powered by clean diesel
technology and in the premium and luxury categories, over 70 percent are clean
diesels.  But in the US -- light-duty diesels account for only about 0.26
percent of all new cars sold, with only slightly higher figures in the
light-duty truck markets.
    "What we've found is that the Europeans are able to reap the rewards of
clean diesel technology -- efficiency and environmental benefits -- while the
US has mostly regulatory roadblocks," said Schaeffer.  "It's completely
understandable why clean diesel technology has such a high acceptance in
Europe -- the engines provide more power, are more fuel efficient, are more
durable, are extremely responsive with low-end torque, and have 30-60 percent
lower greenhouse gas emissions."

    The report:
    *     Provides market information about clean diesel use in Europe and the
          US.
    *     Highlights key European and US emissions policies and milestones.
    *     Explains tax and other policies that affect clean diesel use.
    *     Discusses the inherent performance advantages of clean diesel.
    *     Describes the technologies that will be employed over the next
          decade to achieve the virtual elimination of key pollutants.

    Diesel's inherent performance advantages include more power at lower
engine speeds; better fuel efficiency; greater safety; more durability; and
more power from a given size engine.  Light-duty clean diesel engines, such as
those used in luxury automobiles and light-trucks, use 30-60% less fuel than
similarly sized gasoline engines.
    Copies of the report are being provided to the White House, members of
Congress and Federal agencies for review.
    The full report is available on the Diesel Technology Forum Web site at:
http://www.dieselforum.org.

    The Diesel Technology Forum brings together the diesel industry, the broad
diesel user community, civic and public interest leaders, government
regulators, academics, scientists, the petroleum industry, and public health
researches, to encourage the exchange of information, ideas, scientific
findings, and points-of-view to current and future uses of clean diesel
technology.

    (1) Effectiveness and Impact of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE)
standards; National Academy of Sciences, Washington DC July 2001, pp 3-11.