For the diesel-head with deep pockets...

[Joe_Black]

I'm just all giddy!

Written by: Autocar staff
Ingolstadt, Germany – 1/7/2008

Audi Readies First-Ever Diesel Supercar



Two weeks before the Detroit motor show opens it doors, Audi’s star of the North American International Auto Show has leaked onto the internet – and according to early reports, it’s a 500hp diesel-powered sports car.

The German car brand will show a design concept called the R8 V12 TDi at Detroit and, just as its name suggests, it’ll be a twelve-cylinder turbodiesel version of the critically acclaimed mid-engined R8.

Although there has been no official confirmation from Audi yet, the R8 V12 TDi should use the same 6.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V12 as the Q7. That motor produces a heady 500hp and 738lb ft of torque between 1750- and 3000rpm. Bluetec technology means it’ll also be clean enough to meet emissions standards.

If the response to the hot diesel R8 is positive and Audi puts it into production, the R8 TDi will be a line in the sand in the development of the diesel motor car – the first true diesel-powered supercar, Audi could argue. Expect more on the car to emerge at its unveiling next weekend.

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto...wmodels/42284/



http://www.germancarblog.com/2008/01...o-detroit.html

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/au...4/audi_r8.html

[kpaske]

Hmm... Toureg SUV or R8 Supercar? Decisions, decisions... Hell, by the time I can afford either of them (probably never) I bet there will be a lot more awesome diesels to choose from on the market. Of course, so few still make it over here I'm not sure if/when that will ever change. Then again, if India starts putting millions of those $2,500 deathboxes on the road maybe they'll start soaking up all the gasoline so we can finally shift towards more use of biodiesel and other alternative fuels.

[Scott Harness]

Sweet!

[Joe_Black]

Yeah, I think the real cool-factor is that they're actually building these things and Americans aren't so loyal to Detroit at the expense of their wallets anymore. It's a wide open show and when it comes to diesels we're running at the back of the pack. Fortunately ignorance is curable!

[Chopper]

Yeaaah....I like the R8 alot, but I believe I'll take mine burnin' high test.....save the oil burner for the big S class Merc

[mbeach]

As a recent diesel convert, I'll have to say that I love my Duramax.
Any motor that can pull 7000 lbs of truck carrying 5000 lbs in the bed and still drop most cars at a stoplight gets a thumbs-up in my book.
The engine is so good in fact, it almost makes me forget that I'm driving a domestic.


If the Touareg wasn't such a POS, I'd love to have the diesel version -that would be the ultimate family truckster.

On a related note, Audi does most of its cold-weather testing up here. About a month ago, the wife spotted some Audi prototype SUV running around town -it was bigger and boxier than the Q7. Save for the AU rings, it had no other badges on it. 2009 maybe?
I've made her start carrying around a camera for just such occasions.

[Joe_Black]

I just picked up an '86 Mack Midliner yesterday which has the Renault 5.5L intercooled turbo diesel (Renault started acquisition of Mack in the late 70's, then sold Mack to Volvo in the late 90's). It had a 26' box on it which the guy I bought it from kept for storage, so I'm going to bob the frame and make a rollback out of it with a knuckleboom crane. In any case, the thing runs great (long story but $23K truck I got for $500) and come to find out it gets in the upper teens on mileage. Not bad for the size! The multifuel M35A2 I recently traded for will be lucky to see anything over 12MPG, then again it's a 6X6 that's always engaged.

The real and true beauty of diesel is that if you had the inclination you can make your own fuel. Very simple, lots of options and about the greenest fuel out there besides the car powered by compressed air. Hydrogen could be a greener fuel, but only if it weren't so dirty to produce (which is what most are ignorant of).

[Chopper]

An outfit called "Power+Energy" is in the business of purifying H2 for electronics and LEDs. The H2 is a byproduct of petrol refining and is dirty. The process uses a membrane to strain it clean. They've changed the process around some, and now separate the hydrogen from vaporized gasoline, diesel, E85, ethanol....even bio fuels! One gallon of diesel equals about 1kg of H2, and 90 percent of the original heat value of the liquid is realized as hydrogen. A "state of the art" fuel cell runs at a bit less than 50 percent, so you are effectively doubling the fuel efficiency of the same size diesel (or whatever) burning vehicle... and none of the production-storage-shipping nightmares associated with H2.....and no driving around with a big tank ... now we're getting somewhere!!!!!CO2 emissions are halved, no NOx. Chrysler tried the mini refinery thing maybe ten years ago, but it wasn't the same thing(Commander)and was ultimately too dirty for it's membrane.....the idea was dropped. This is all DOD funded, and the Navy takes delivery of its first unit in May. This is exciting stuff!!!! Now a "kinder" battery for all this...hmmmmm

[Joe_Black]

Intriguing stuff: http://www.powerandenergy.com/

Power+Energy is leading the way to the Hydrogen Economy with proprietary manufacturing and patented hydrogen separation and purification technologies. Power+Energy's palladium-alloy hydrogen purifiers purify commercial compressed or liquid hydrogen to nine-nines purity, meeting even the most stringent requirements for semiconductor fabrication processes, including MOCVD for LEDs, laser diodes, and other compound semiconductors. Our hydrogen purifiers are also ideal for metallurgy, R&D, and instrumentation, No matter how large or small your pure hydrogen needs are, Power+Energy has the right purifier for your organization.

Additionally, using Power+Energy's patented hydrogen separation technology, liquid fuels like gasoline, diesel, propane, and ethanol can be converted into a stream of pure hydrogen gas with less than 100 parts per billion of carbon monoxide, meeting the highest purity standards for powering a PEM fuel cell. Power+Energy's advanced technology can be utilized to deliver hydrogen to where it is required, using the existing liquid fuel infrastructure. Whether it's propane to support a fuel cell at a remote site, diesel fuel to hydrogen for auxiliary power for commercial trucking, backup power for hospitals, police, and fire stations, or converting gasoline into hydrogen for hydrogen fueling stations for automobiles, Power+Energy's unique technology can deliver the high-quality hydrogen needed to enable the widespread use of ultra-clean fuel cells.

Power+Energy provides pure hydrogen where it's needed, when it's needed — without a new hydrogen infrastructure.

Power+Energy's technology is how we're Fueling the Hydrogen Economy.™

Kinda makes me wonder if someone's just trying to inflate palladium futures: http://www.stillwaterpalladium.com/uses.html

[Chopper]

Palladium is converter cheap. DOD is goin' for it. Run it on Bio....we got a winner!

[johnnyapollo]

While recyling used veggie oil is relatively clean and works at the individual level, don't be fooled into thinking going big scale bio or ethanol is the answer - one has to factor in the actual initial processing of the oil from corn or whatever - there's some cost there that doesn't ever seem to make it in all those treatises you see online. Those big grain producers consume a lot of fuel to make it happen (mostly gasoline for equipment, etc) - turning corn into some type of ethanol or biofuel has the oil companies laughing all the way to the bank due to increased gas consumption on the farms - plus now it's wrapped in a "green" wrapper - all the rage.

I just read about some new solar panels that are made of etched aluminum that are extremely efficient - super cheap to produce and doesn't have the issues with damaged panels killing energy production. All this talk of fuel amounts to the same thing - storage of the sun's energy (just about anything that's burned started out as sunlight - to plants, to animals, and so on). If we really want to make things happen let's skip all the crap and go right to the source!

-- John

[Chopper]

Solar....yes please. Makes the most sense. Till it's ready in some real sense (besides heating my pool and hose water, or trickle charging my BMW battery) I need something yesterday to get away from this petroleum....this seems a bit closer

[Joe_Black]

I certainly agree that biofuels have distinct potential downside from the agrarian source, but like most issues many aspects have been over-emphasized and outright exaggerated. What gets me is corn as a source for ethanol as it's one of the poorest producers by volume. There's your farm lobby at work! Biodiesel, like ethanol, has an extremely broad spectrum of sources and they all have positive and negative aspects to them. However NONE OF THEM approach the negatives of continued reliance upon fossil fuels. But yes, one of my favorite arguments is the increased fuel consumption to produce these crops. It points immediately to the lack of knowledge being wielded by those presenting the argument as most crop producers run on the very biofuel they're producing the crops for. Using petroleum fuel would sorta be like working the counter at McDonalds while munching on a Whopper, just don't make good sense. Of course this isn't 100% across the board, but we've got to start somewhere. And again, we as a country ran on biofuels a century ago. We know how to do this!

I'm all for solar as well, which again points to biofuels as plants are the ultimate battery. Biodiesel and ethanol are almost like putting sunshine in your fuel tank, no toxic batteries required. I've been following recent boosts in solar panel efficiencies also as having the ability to pump solar-fueled electricity directly into the grid can only be a good thing, and the more efficient the better as that gets not only the ultimate cost down but the physical area required to produce a given amount of power as well. Giving up a chunk of real estate for an array of solar panels has turned many fence-sitters away from this excellent power source.

Using all the available non-petroleum energy technologies together as a coordinated sympony of power can easily overcome our problems, but like most technological advances we have to quell the overwhelming tide of ignorance with effective "real world" applications for all to see it's not just a pipe dream.

Besides, I get a little reminder every time I fill the Jetta up about how fantastic diesel is. Tonight I just got my first 600-mile tank! w00t! Hoping to get in the "800 Club" soon.