Oil jumps above $100 on refinery outage

[tw]

Originally Posted by smoothmoniker

This will be the year of the consumer diesel cars.

Mercedes did substantial research in the 1990s onwards to refine a superior diesel. Other manufacturers were pioneering other technologies. In every case, it was about doing more work with less energy. Adapting better to changing loads. A 1960 technology V-8 so common in low performance American products should have and could have been cremated decades ago. That V-8 gasoline engine is a tribute to bean counters doing cost controls. Why do so many pickups and SUVs have these crappy technologies?

Mid 1970 America V-8 engines did maybe 170 Hp. That is what four cylinder engines and smallest V-6s do today where innovation existed. Why does anyone need 200 or 300 Hp engines? Ego? Confidence? Self-esteem? Who are these people? A problem.