VW’s Jetta BlueTDI: 60 MPG, 90% Emissions Reduction for NOx
VW’s ultra-low emission Jetta BlueTDI will be coming to the US mid-summer, according to an announcement made late last month at the Vienna Motor Symposium.
This newer version of the Jetta will meet the strictest emissions standards in the world—BIN5/LEV2—which are enforced by 5 US states: California, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, and Vermont. BIN5/LEV2 standards severely cap nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions (0.05 g/mile), one of the two tailpipe pollutants that have given diesels a bad rap (that and particulate matter).
As it happens, Bin5/LEV2 standards are tougher than their European counterpart, the Euro-5, and VW had to custom modify the Jetta BlueTDI for the North American market. NOx reductions were met with internal engine modifications—some of which are “unique worldwide”—and a maintenance-free NOx exhaust trap. Altogether, this system reduces NOx emissions by 90%.
Combining clean emissions with a road-tested fuel economy of up to 60 MPG highway could make this a winner in the US. Dr. Ing. Jens Hadler, Director of Volkswagen Powertrain Development commented:
[H]igh fuel prices and a dramatic change in environmental consciousness means that diesel is becoming more and more attractive for American drivers every day. This is why many customers, especially in California, have been waiting for a super-clean diesel like our BlueTDI. I think this motor will help the diesel get its big break in America because it consumes so little and yet can go such long distances on a single fill-up. And in a country as big as the United States, this is a priceless advantage. On the highway, for example, this engine can reach up to 60 miles per gallon. This is an improvement of 12 percent over its predecessor, which had a lower capacity and higher emissions.
Posts Related to VW Jetta TDI and other Diesels:
- Clean Diesel Cars Coming to US This Fall: 2008-2010 Timeline
- A Biodiesel Prius? VW To Release 69.9 MPG Diesel Hybrid (We Thought)
- VW Confirms 1L Concept Will Become Reality in 2010
- Mercedes 40-MPG Diesel Hybrid: Cleanest SUV on the Planet
- Germans Release 117 MPG Diesel Sportscar: Biodiesel, Anyone?
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Photo Credit: VW
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With the threat of gasoline prices climbing to $4 per gallon, eco-conscious drivers have yet another reason to boost their mileage and reduce their fuel consumption. So here are 100 tips for “hypermiling,” courtesy of GasolineCreditCards.com’s EcoTrekker.
Photo courtesy of Aaron Lawrence via Wikimedia Commons.
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A standard car that got 376.59 mpg? In 1973? Where has it been hiding all these years?
Well, the record-breaking 1959 Opel T-1 wasn’t exactly tucked into a crate among millions of other crates in a giant warehouse a la “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (”We have top men working on it right now.” “Who?” “Top men.”)
But it did spend years, all but forgotten, at the Talladega, Alabama-based International Motorsports Hall of Fame until it was discovered — and purchased by — Evan McMullen, who owns Cosmopolitan Motors in Seattle.
The old Opel broke the world record for gas mileage in a 1973 competition sponsored by Shell Oil, and was featured in the 1975 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. You can see photos and read more details about the vehicle here.
McMullen told SeattlePI.com that he plans to sell the record-breaker at an auction in September.
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Since last year, many of us have been eagerly awaiting the introduction of ‘clean-diesels’: the 2008-2009 models touted as having superior mileage and cleaner emissions than comparable gas models.
So where are they? Strangely, promised 2008 models didn’t materialize, and I had trouble finding more on the story. As far as I can tell, we’ll just have to look forward to next summer’s release of the 2009 VW Jetta TDI. The new Jetta gets similar mileage to older models, 50 mpg ( though VW engineers claim 30% better mileage under real world conditions). More importantly though, it’s the first diesel to meet the world’s toughest emissions standards, California’s Tier II, bin 5, earning it clean-diesel status. If you noticed the recent lack of diesel vehicles for sale (especially in CA), it was the direct result of reengineering emissions systems:
Although it won’t be wearing the “BlueTec” badge, the Jetta will be using emission-cleansing technologies developed under the cooperative formed by Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen to make it 50-state legal. Most BlueTec vehicles control NOx emissions—one of the biggest environmental hurdles facing diesels, along with particulate matter—by injecting a urea-based solution into the exhaust system upstream from the catalytic converter, where NOx is then converted into nitrogen and water. The Jetta will instead use a NOx-storage catalyst, which is basically a reservoir that temporarily holds the noxious emissions, like a particulate filter, until they can be burned off during one of the engine cycles.
These new advances reduce NOx emissions by up to 90%—good news for biodiesel advocates and anyone breathing air. 50 MPG on 100% biodiesel has a nice ring to it, especially when the NOx-Biodiesel problem has been significantly mitigated. While we’d all like to say goodbye to old, dirty diesels, their inherent longevity means we’ll be stuck with them for some time. But those in the market for the latest model car might consider buying a state-of-the-art clean-diesel.
“…today’s clean-diesel engines are as clean as gasoline-powered engines,” says Chrysler’s Altermatt. “The standards have really improved, and that’s partly due to the input from the government, in terms of implementing stricter emissions standards…And in addition to now meeting those higher standards, these engines often provide the customer with engine performance that is the equivalent of gas engines, and sometimes better. And in many cases, the vehicles powered by diesel engines are more fun to drive, because they have better low-end response.
“So we do have some work to do in terms of changing old perceptions about diesels,” he said. “But the more of these that come into the market, the easier it will be to help people realize that diesel is now a very clean, viable alternative to regular gasoline.”
I hope that realization comes quickly, because we’re still years behind Europe. Just just take a look at the VW Polo: a 5-speed, 1.4 liter, sub-$20,000 hatchback that gets 60-70 mpg. When will we see these at home? My money is on 2010, when Honda expects to release a 62.8 mpg diesel in the U.S.
Green Car Congress (Nov. 16, 2007): VW Shows New Jetta TDI Clean Diesel at LA Auto Show
Popuar Mechanics (Dec. 4, 2007): 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDi Test Drive: Clean Diesel’s 50 MPG Meets Prius-Humbling Thrust
CNN (Dec. 12, 2007): Diesels aren’t dirty anymore.
Popular Mechanics (July 31, 2007): Volkswagen’s Clean-Diesel, 70-mpg Polo May Head Stateside: Test Drive
