Bill Ford recently commented that “Diesel doesn’t make sense”. A Wards Auto article lays out his comments at a recent panel, where others on that panel disagreed with him.
What is funny (yet common when most American manufacturer’s speak) is that while he claims diesel cars “don’t make sense” because of their cost and the lack of fueling infrastructure, that doesn’t stop them from selling over 60% of their F250/F-350 pickups as diesels.
Text Of Article:
Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford says the auto maker has diesel engines it “easily” could bring to the U.S. from Europe, but that won’t happen until consumers embrace the technology more warmly and a more robust infrastructure develops.
“Ford Motor Co. is the second-largest (diesel-engine) producer in Europe,” he says during a panel discussion on clean transportation at the National Summit here. “So it’s not like it’s not part of the Ford family.
“There just isn’t yet the diesel infrastructure (in the U.S.) for us to invest heavily,” Bill Ford says. “Should that develop, we’re all set. It would be easy for us to bring diesel technology here.”
As it stands, he adds, the auto maker has chosen to pull the “best pieces” of its diesel technology in Europe and put them in a gasoline-fueled engine for the U.S. called EcoBoost.
EcoBoost combines direct-injection with turbocharging to give Ford’s 3.5L gasoline engine 20% better fuel economy and 15% lower carbon-dioxide emissions compared with a conventional V-6 mill.
“It’s ubiquitous and it’s affordable,” Bill Ford says.
And that’s two things diesel is not, he adds. The fuel can cost up to $0.40 more per gallon than gasoline, the technology adds up to $3,000 to the cost of a vehicle, and diesel is not available at every filling station.
Bill Ford’s remarks run counter to those of his fellow panelists, who sit squarely in the camp of diesel advocates.
Complete Article
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