Diesel has been around for a long time, but in the latest couple of years, it has actually become more fun to have a diesel engine than a gasoline engine. The diesel engines have been improved to have a larger RPM range, and they accelerate more quickly from standstill. When moving, they don't make more noise than gasoline engines.
The Lupo 3L is basically a normal VW Lupo, except that some weight reduction was applied, the engine was an efficient diesel engine, and the engine turned off when the car was at standstill. That's basically it. My neighbor had one, and when I tried it, I was surprised to see that it accelerated an awful lot quicker than my own car (VW Passat, 35 MPG).
One of the most popular devices for cars in my country is a furnace. The problem is, that a diesel engine is so efficient, that there isn't enough wasted heat to make the engine and inner parts of the vehicle warm during the winter. I guess this shows that there is a limit to the fuel efficiency of a comfortable car. However, there is also a limit to the number of cars that we can have around in Copenhagen - if we wanted to increase the car density to what is known in Los Angeles, we would have to tear down half of the buildings. So what's the solution? More underground metros, more trains, more bicycles. That's why we're currently investing a lot in metro, trains and bicycles. |
