Actually, I have long been known for my sour outlook and unerring ability to find the black cloud in any silver lining. I chalk it up to more than 30 years of editing magazines, an occupation something like working as a baseball umpire. Both jobs allow you to do a hundred things right and still get booed for doing one thing wrong, or ridden out of town on a rail. So as time goes on, editors tend to become, shall we say, a wee bit wary of what might fall on them next. I am no exception.
Which is why the fact that I am tremendously optimistic about the future of diesel should stand out like red neon on a lonely highway.
I am optimistic for a variety of reasons.
First, here in America we have always had people who like to go fast. Americans will race pretty much anything with an engine-lawnmowers, tractors, you name it-anywhere, any time, given the slightest provocation. And as we all know, hot-rodding diesel engines is easy, and the results are dramatic. For those who want the biggest, baddest truck (or tractor or whatever) diesel is an easy way to go. As a result, we are seeing more big trucks blasting down the drag strip than ever. And blasting across the salt flats, and around road race courses. Diesel performance will, and is, making its way to desert racing. And in Europe, where diesel has always been big, there will be winning diesel cars at Le Mans built by companies like Audi.
With all this racing going on, diesel performance technology is advancing rapidly. So that will give us a lot to write about.
Then of course, is the fact that we, as a nation, are torque junkies. Our idea of performance is something that moves off the line more like a Harley than a Ninja. That's because we pull things, big things, across enormous interstate highways that traverse mountains and prairies. We take motorhomes on the road, so we need the torque. And nothing makes torque like diesel.
As long-haul truckers have known for decades, there is nothing that can operate more efficiently at a steady state than a healthy diesel engine. Given an environment in which fuel efficiency will become an ever-higher priority, diesel provides a solution. The art of building stronger tow rigs, running cleaner and more efficiently than ever, is another subject we expect to keep close tabs on.
The "dieselization" of America is just in its infancy. In Europe, some 50 percent of all registered vehicles are diesel powered. There, tax incentives exist to create a preference for diesel fuel. While we do not share that fuel price structure, we do stand to benefit from their commitment to cleaner and more efficient powerplants. Companies like Bosche are investing heavily in research to develop even more finely tuned diesel combustion processes, processes that will eventually make their way to our market. Certain Japanese companies are also doing considerable research. These advanced combustion technologies will appear in cars and trucks under brand names such as Mercedes, Honda, BMW, Nissan, Jeep, Dodge, Volkswagen, Toyota, and others. As a result, North American diesel market share is expected to grow to 15 percent of the total, versus 3 percent today. The fact that diesel development is a global priority was one reason we named this magazine Diesel World.
Looming on the horizon are the 2007 and 2010 emissions regulations, which are extremely stringent. This, in spite of the fact that current diesels are 90 percent cleaner than those we drove in 1990. But even this kind of uncertainty doesn't blunt our optimism. Every time we ask a corporate executive about 2007, we get a positive answer. The lastest came at an event in which a Bosche spokesman replied, "We feel it will be possible to meet these goals using new technology." It's an answer we keep hearing over and over.
Between now and 2015, there will be a lot to cope with-new fuels, new emissions restrictions. There have always been higher costs for diesel engines, and that will probably not change. In the end, diesels will be far cleaner, more fun to drive, and much more sophisticated. Too sophisticated, maybe, to hot rod? Or maybe not. Guys like Gale Banks tell us, "I see it as an opportunity."
Our role in all of this is to help people with diesels have fun with their trucks, cars, motorhomes--whatever they own. We'll be working to report on the technologies that arise, the most interesting vehicles, and to show how diesel owners can improve their own vehicles, from engine to axle. We're looking forward to it.
This first issue of Diesel World has been produced without the benefit of our incoming editor, Gary Blount. Gary is a diesel owner and hands-on truck guy who will undoubtedly improve this magazine. For this installment, if you have an issue with anything inside, you have me to blame. I may be optimistic, but I'm not clairvoyant. Like even the best umpires, there will undoubtedly be some things that I could have done better. So, if you need to get our attention, just shoot an e-mail to
, or direct to me at
Actually, I have long been known for my sour outlook and unerring ability to find the black cloud in any silver lining. I chalk it up to more than 30 years of editing magazines, an occupation something like working as a baseball umpire. Both jobs allow you to do a hundred things right and still get booed for doing one thing wrong, or ridden out of town on a rail. So as time goes on, editors tend to become, shall we say, a wee bit wary of what might fall on them next. I am no exception.
