To cheer up Cath & Drew

[drew at scirocco.cs.uoguelph.ca (Drew)]

On Wed, 2004-06-23 at 11:45, roccit_53@scirocco.cs.uoguelph.ca wrote:

> Two things
> a) Drew and Cathy are likely cheery enough. (we're Canadian eh? we cheer
> up fast, or at least I do)

Agreed - all it takes is a little soot and and some cold beer and I'm
happy again... :)


> b) I see my bug is the first on the list of non- hybrids. But frankly I'd
> rather drive a diesel anyway since there are a few people who know how to
> fix them at least. The hybrid's a great idea, but not out in the sticks
> where I live. Nearest japanese car dealer is an hour away. Plus diesel is
> so cheap at the pump.

Do not get me started about gas-electric hybrids.  Please.  What a
crock.  Ask any one of those hybrid manufacturers how much they
subsidize the price of their cars by, and then go talk to VW about their
Lupo 3L - that gets 3L/100KM combined (about 79 USmpg) running straight
diesel - and which they manage to produce and sell for a tidy profit. 
Now, lets discuss the fact that anyone of today's modern high speed
diesels can be converted to run on straight vegetable oil with minor
modifications, or BIO-diesel with little or no modification - both of
which can be GROWN, not pumped from the ground.

So why is North America so down on high tech diesel power?  Number one,
our fuel is still liquid crap, with a sulphur content that's too high
and a cetane value that's too low (pump average is 40 or less in North
America, in Europe the minimum is 55.)  Number two, people still have it
in their heads that diesels are slow, smelly and stinky (OK, mine is
slow, smelly and stinky, but they're not all like that!)

OK - I'll get down off my soapbox now.

Drew

-- 
 
84 Wolfsburg Ed. Scirocco GTD     http://scirocco.cs.uoguelph.ca/gtd
89 Audi 200 Turbo Quattro Avant
94 A3 Golf GL TurboDiesel, 99 A3 Jetta GL TDI
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