A Diesel?

[wayne kemp]

Telling your age goldwing06. Drip (back then) was the way to go when you couldn't afford go to East Texas to get gas for $.19.

 

[champsman]

It's a fact diesel is cheaper to make than gasoline and then they charge us more for it (greed)

 

[Jambe]

Diesel is priced higher than gasoline because it contains more BTUs. According to Smoky Yunick. (Take that youngsters!)

 

[wheaters]

It's a fact diesel is cheaper to make than gasoline and then they charge us more for it (greed)

That's true.

Snick is wrong In saying that diesel costs less in Europe.

Here In UK, diesel fuel is also taxed more than gasoline and it costs on average 5 pence a litre more than gas does. I drove 2500 miles through Spain and France in July and fuel prices there were broadly similar to those here.

We have three gas powered cars at this house so fuel prices of both are never far from my mind. My daily driver is a diesel engined BMW (330D, six cylinder engine), and the torque output and acceleration is very impressive.

 

[Ty]

No. In my very biased and totally not humble opinion, diesel stinks, literally. I hate the smell of it and I don't usually claim to hate things. Not only that, diesel fuel is more expensive, the Elio would be more expensive and the service would be harder to find and therefore more expensive according to what I have read. To each his own, but I definitely vote no on diesel. Z

Z, recent government mandates have removed almost all the sulfur out of diesel. I also hated that rotten egg smell and the black smoke. However, my new diesel truck has no color to it's exhaust and the fuel has almost no smell at all. It is, however, still expensive to have serviced.

 

[Ty]

Absolutely a great reason to never consider a diesel!

I'd love to have a diesel version. It wouldn't save me money but it would save fuel. If everyone could cut their fuel consumption by even 30%, we wouldn't be as tied to imported oil as we are. Just like in my F350, I knew that the premium for a diesel engine (an $8,840 option) would never be paid for by fuel savings over the gas version.

I get 15mpg over 15,000 per year -- 1,000 gallons of fuel a year (1,000 * $3.44 = $3,440).
The gas version gets 12mpg which uses 1,250 gallons of fuel a year (1,250 * $3.05 = $3,812.50).
I'd save $372.50 per year and it will take me 23.73 years to pay off the diesel engine.

HOWEVER, I can tow a house with my truck and I LOVE the torque. I wouldn't take a gasser if it were given to me.

The Elio numbers are similar in that it takes a long time to "pay off" the diesel option. Now, I'd still get an Elio diesel if they offered one if it had more torque than the gas version because torque makes stop and go driving much nicer. I LIKE DIESELS. They are clean, stink free, and have loads of torque. I wouldn't buy an Elio diesel thinking I would be saving money but I would buy one to save fuel and thus help (a tiny, tiny bit) the US oil import balance.

 

[goldwing06]

Diesel is priced higher than gasoline because it contains more BTUs. According to Smoky Yunick. (Take that youngsters!)

actually, that's not the whole story. it has to do with a barrel of crude and how much of each distillate can be rendered, percentage wise. typically, they do not get as much diesel from the barrel as they do gasoline, so they can charge more for it, since there is less of it. even with all the additives, it only add a couple of gallons to the total quantity of crude. this may help explain. http://www.eia.doe.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=oil_home

 

[Newworld]

actually, that's not the whole story. it has to do with a barrel of crude and how much of each distillate can be rendered, percentage wise. typically, they do not get as much diesel from the barrel as they do gasoline, so they can charge more for it, since there is less of it. even with all the additives, it only add a couple of gallons to the total quantity of crude. this may help explain. http://www.eia.doe.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=oil_home

Demand is the crucial component. Diesel is cheaper (less processed) than gasoline. Where demand is higher (South America) it's cheaper. But that won't impact the US demand. It all boils down to double use: biodiesel in chaotic times, and mileage.

 

[Newworld]

Z, recent government mandates have removed almost all the sulfur out of diesel. I also hated that rotten egg smell and the black smoke. However, my new diesel truck has no color to it's exhaust and the fuel has almost no smell at all. It is, however, still expensive to have serviced.

Here's another opposite opinion: I love the smell of diesel, it smells frugal.

 

[ozarkbugg]

A diesel engine would push mpg over 100mpg. I had a Ford 3/4 ton van, with a 351ci motor. I got 11mpg . I replaced that with a one ton Ford van ,( which weighs a ton more) with a 444ci diesel motor. I average 17mpg. 55% better fuel mileage.
Back in my dump truck driving days, I started out driving a gas engine truck, which could haul a 30,000 # payload. I burned up 100 gallons of gas a day.
My next truck was a diesel powered tri-axle, which hauled a payload of 40,000 lbs. I went thru 50 gallons of diesel fuel a day, hauling 10,000# more payload, and the truck weighed 8,000 # more empty than the empty gas powered truck.
If they installed a small diesel motor in the Elio , and geared it right to maximize the power curve,, I'm guessing 110-120 mpg!!
Maybe it would take a 6 to 8 speed transmission, and the diesel motors do cost more, but the fuel mileage would be way up there. And of course the diesel motors last much longer than gas burners. ( my 00 van has just turned 325k miles. No repairs to the motor as of yet, and does not burn any oil!)
Im excited about this car, I only came accross it 2 weeks ago. This car could save me a ton in fuel costs in my service business.