News FCA can now sell the 2017 EcoDiesel

[BoostN]

Reported a few days ago, FCA can now sell the 2017 Ram and Jeep EcoDiesel equipped trucks/suvs.

From TFLT guys:

FCA has announced that the company received a certificate of conformity from the Environmental Protection Agency EPA and a conditional executive order from the Air Resources Board (ARB) of the State of California.

Source: http://www.tfltruck.com/2017/07/can-buy-2017-ram-1500-ecodiesel-trucks-news/

 

[cevans]

Great News!

(Maybe - I was hoping that our trucks values would go up if FCA couldn't sell new ones!)

 

[vandan]

Ha ha anything that has tires, tracks or tits don't go up in value

 

[kd1yt]

Glad to see this news. The US gov't has been anti diesel beyond all rationality. Rumor has been that the 3.0ED may show up in the soon-new Jeep Wranglers, and it will be especially interesting if it shows up in the new truck-body Wrangler.with a manual transmission.

 

[cevans]

Right - the chairman of Daimler mentioned something interesting in a note a few weeks back. Summarizing, if your goal to limit CO2 emissions, widely considered the most worrisome greenhouse gas, diesel is still the best option by a wide margin. It seems that the EPA/CARB is prioritizing certain emissions over other emissions, and Diesel currently has the "bad boy" label on it because of the VW thing.

If the EPA is going to regulate the crap out of emissions, could we at least regulate the PRICES of repairing the emissions equipment. It is STUPID - $2k-$5k for repairing the whole emissions system. Unlike other areas of regulation where manufacturers can self-certify, anyone making emissions equipment must submit to CARB and EPA testing, which is HUGE money. Keeps all competition out of the market, making OEMs the only option + making it unnecessarily expensive to maintain these vehicles.

 

[kd1yt]

I think the enmity of the US gov't towards diesel goes way back before VW stepped in and dragged the rest of us into a pile of regulatory poo. An old friend of mine who works withing relevant portions of the US Gov't and who for years drove an ancient diesel Benz said that EPA was tangled in knots over the particulate aspects of diesel emissions and was basically anti diesel unless diesel were made way better than gasoline in terms of what comes out the tailpipe- very self defeating as you say on CO2 considerations.

GM dealt US light-vehicle diesel potential a crippling blow from which we are still recovering with the craptacular Oldsmobile diesel and the also the subsequent fairly crappy 6.2/6.5 series. VW also created a PR bad impression with the public that could take a long time to rebound from for anyone who has been a gasoline-driver to consider switching to diesel. Some of the other things like problems with some of the more recent Ford powerstrokes also don't help. The technology is long-established and really not complex as long as you stick to sound conservative engineering that considers the operating stresses within a diesel engine.

I've previously owned an old Ford 7.3 pre-powerstroke IDI and a Mopar mid-00s 5.9 Cummins. I liked each of those but the 3.0ED Ram 1500 really hits a sweet spot in a general use pickup. Mine is a thrifty daily driver that has also shone like a star when pressed to haul heavy very un-aerodynamic trailered loads in zero F and colder conditions- and turned in 18 MPG hauling those loads in worst-MPG operating scenarios. General driving, passing on steep uphills, with only short passing lanes, common where I live, are also pretty impressive when the thrifty sedate 3.0ED (With GDE tune) steps into a phone booth and steps out as lil' supertruck, ready willing and able to haul _ _ _

 

[fhedrickjr]

I have been checking "Cars.com" on a regular basis. For the first time since this whole emissions fiasco started, I found new and used EDs on their site. By the way, from what I saw, the prices aren't hurt at all. I was hoping it would be lower for my off lease buy out but, they are still fetching north of $30k for used EDs with 30K and higher on the Odo.

 

[Bigfoot]

Right - the chairman of Daimler mentioned something interesting in a note a few weeks back. Summarizing, if your goal to limit CO2 emissions, widely considered the most worrisome greenhouse gas, diesel is still the best option by a wide margin. It seems that the EPA/CARB is prioritizing certain emissions over other emissions, and Diesel currently has the "bad boy" label on it because of the VW thing.

If the EPA is going to regulate the crap out of emissions, could we at least regulate the PRICES of repairing the emissions equipment. It is STUPID - $2k-$5k for repairing the whole emissions system. Unlike other areas of regulation where manufacturers can self-certify, anyone making emissions equipment must submit to CARB and EPA testing, which is HUGE money. Keeps all competition out of the market, making OEMs the only option + making it unnecessarily expensive to maintain these vehicles.

Wow, the EcoDiesel has been plagued by certification problems since its introduction in 2013. Diesel is a "bad boy" because CO2 is just one component in its complex and toxic emissions. In particular nitrogen oxides and particulates are both highly dangerous. It is difficult to control all these emissions in a balanced manner. The current diesel technology is about as good as it can get and has little chance of meeting future, more stringent requirements.

We have seen how well manufacturers can be trusted to self-test, so I'm afraid this may be the last generation of light-duty diesel engines. All the diesel manufacturers including Mercedes are being investigated for cheating, several have issued recalls, and a few countries have goals to eliminate diesel entirely. Diesel's time has passed and gasoline engines are not far behind. We can enjoy diesel for a few more years but the industry is already shifting to other sources such as electric. In the end diesel was just a short-lived technology borne from the industrial revolution when oil was plentiful and we didn't understand the health effects.