Fortwo cdi

[Chris Wurgler]

Any gas MPG will be better than my present 86 Cadillac Fleetwood Broughm which is getting maybe 8 MPG in town. I'll keep the Cad for my Costco runs with the smart getting me around the rest of the time.

[Old smart]

Originally Posted by SmartCard

I always wondered about this. I guess being "green" with the lowest CO2 emissions still doesn't mean squat with US standards. I wonder what the holdup, or more appropriately, what the "offending" emission is that doesn't pass US muster?

The situation is that the EU/EC is focusing primarily on CO2; the U.S. EPA is focusing on NOx, CO, and particulates. NOx is the tough nut to crack so far. The EPA isn't warm to any anti-polution system that requires periodic service maintenance (liquid urea injection). The CO2, CO part comes with just burning less fuel more efficiently.

[Shane]

I'm on my 3rd Ford Festiva, I tow it behind my Motorhome. It's a 5 speed fuel injected engine and gets 43 to 51 MPG...I want a smart car, but not until the USA allows a Fortwo cdi!

Shane...

[Old smart]

The reason that the EU is getting a 451 diesel and we are not is the difference in required standards. Presently the EU requirement for NOx is =/< 2.6 grams per horsepower-hour. That reduces to =/< 1.2g/hp-hr for them by 2009. The 2007 US standard is =/< 1.2g/hp-hr, and reducing to =/< 0.2g/hp-hr by 2010. That is a significant difference between us. The additional standards for particulates between the EU and US are a lot closer, but the U.S. is still stricter.

As was alluded to elsewhere in this group, liquid urea injection is very effective in reducing NOx to our standard, but is only appropriate for larger vehicles. And the fact that the ratio of liquid urea (an expensive, HAZMAT item) to diesel fuel is 1:18 (cutting well into your miles per dollar). Service stations would have to install tanks, pumps, and nozzles, or sell cansiters to re-fill onboard urea tanks - not likely to be well met in the U.S. with so little interest in passenger diesels. There are emerging dry technologies, but they may also be too much bulk for a smart to carry.

[MicroNut]

Originally Posted by fishrdnc

...As was alluded to elsewhere in this group, liquid urea injection is very effective in reducing NOx to our standard, but is only appropriate for larger vehicles. And the fact that the ratio of liquid urea (an expensive, HAZMAT item) to diesel fuel is 1:18 (cutting well into your miles per dollar). Service stations would have to install tanks, pumps, and nozzles, or sell cansiters to re-fill onboard urea tanks - not likely to be well met in the U.S. with so little interest in passenger diesels...

So peeing into the tank every time you fill up wouldn't work?

[lhoboy]

Originally Posted by MicroNut

So peeing into the tank every time you fill up wouldn't work?

Depends on what you're trying to accomplish.