new type of "hybrid" car system?

I heard ( here in the UK ) that US diesel is shortly meant to be cleaned up to make it comparable to the stuff we get here. This will make currently manufactured diesel engined cars practical in the US.

This may be connected

Graham

What do the buyers do with our exported oil?

Many. Just not available in the USA. When I bought my Landcruiser, I was told that they are not and will never be available in diesel. Even though I've driven diesel versions in Europe and elsewhere.

Its a market segmentation issue. The USA has their own standards and, unless a manufacturer thinks the market over here is large enough, they aren't going to spend the money for US certification. In the case of diesels, they should just let the EU-approved models in with no further testing, since they are cleaner to begin with. Why would the mfg. need to recertify against a dirtier (practically nonexistent) standard?

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

In a growing city, it seems to me that having at least *some* fuel taxes go towards mass transporation is perfectly reasonable. I don't think there are any cities with populations over, say, a million where there isn't daily rush-hour traffic jams, gridlock, and general consternation with the lack of smooth-flowing traffic. I also think it's pretty well established that the cost of adding additional infrastructure for cars (i.e., road widening) goes up super-linearly with the number of cars it's designed for. As such, at some point it seems that you reach a balance it's actually cheaper to provide mass transportation (or other alternative means) to shorten someone's commute to work than to build another road instead.

This is pretty much all speculation on my part, though. :-) And I am aware that there are many cities where the choice between buildng mass transit vs. roads has far more to do with politics than anything resembilng actually trying to provide the best services possible for the average Joe... especially when one considers that there are plenty of interests who don't want to provide cheap & effective mass transportation, when it's clear that it actually won't ever pay for itself but instead is something of a social welfare project for lower-class citizens (errr... and "guest workers," I guess) with a payback that's difficult to measure.

---Joel Kolstad

To protect the market. Letting EU-approved cars in would make things too easy for foreign manufacturers.

Thomas

The only difference is the engines ( compared to gasoline powered models ) for heaven's sake.

Using the same emissions standards would make sense or do you prefer naked trade protectionism ?

Graham

Well, in this case it is probably not what I'd want, but what the local manufacturers want.

Compare it to PC manufacture. No-one is complaining about 'the microsoft tax' as long as they pay far less than a consumer does for Windows.

Thomas

Using PCs as an example note that UL 1950 is now largely based on IEC 60950 with 'local variations'.

Harmonisation make sense.

Graham

That sounds about right - but thet 96% is of state expenditures and doesn't include federal dollars. That "State Highway Fund" isn't just gas taxes or even vehical fees either:

?Monies distributed from the Highway User Revenue Fund, certain vehicle fees which are deposited directly to the State Highway Fund, interest earnings, appropriations by the Legislature, and donations."

The Highway User Revenue Fund is Transportation-related licenses, taxes, fees, penalties and interest such as the motor vehicle fuel tax, vehicle license tax, vehicle registration, driver.s license, interest earnings, and others.

For FY2004 budget:

Highway User Revenue Fund: ~681 million State Highway Fund: ~973 million

coudl

formulation.

make

USA diesel is much "dirtier" than european diesel.

Something's missing here. The numbers must be administrative only. The section of Loop 202 going in just south of me is ~$7B project.

...Jim Thompson

On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 03:14:57 +0000 (UTC) in sci.electronics.design, snipped-for-privacy@steel.ucs.indiana.edu (Gregory L. Hansen) wrote,

Simple, just count the cylinders and divide by eight.

Oh god, now I've done it again. Replied to another f'cking off-topic political thread. I hate it.