Volkswagen of America kicked off their big cross country DIESELUTION tour at the Auburn Hills MI headquarters this morning as they prepare for launch of their new CleanTDI vehicles, next March. New VWoA CEO Stefan Jacoby unveiled the 53 ft long, expandable DIESELUTION trailer which is filled with interactive exhibits extolling the virtues of diesel and alternative fuels. The primary focus is explaining the efficiency benefits and CO2 reductions that come from the clean diesel technology that debuts on the Jetta sedan and SportWagen.

Displays inside the trailer will highlight emissions technology, the racing successes of Volkswagen's Touareg TDI in off-road competition and the amount of money drivers can save on fuel. There are also exhibits on fuels including current biodiesel fuels and Sunfuel. Sunfuel is a next generation biofuel that VW is working on with a German University that involves biomass-to-gas conversion. The gas can then be converted to diesel fuel. Accompanying the trailer will be a group of diesel VWs including the oldest Rabbit diesel that was recently found, a Polo Bluemotion, Touareg and the new Jetta. The truck leaves today for Boston where it will be on display at the AltWheels festival this weekend. After Boston the tour will continue on with stops at universities, auto shows and other events around the US before arriving at the Super Bowl next February.

Update: The tour schedule so far is now posted after the press release on the other side of the jump. There are some gaps in their around the LA and Detroit Auto Shows where tour may stop as well.

[Source: Volkswagen]

A new synthetic diesel fuel produced using a Fischer-Tropsch process based biomass-to-liquids (BTL) technology, and developed by Shell and Choren Industries, will be launched in Europe later this year.

Utilising waste plant material like wood chips and straw instead of food crops like soybean and rapeseed, 15,000 tonnes per year of the SunDiesel fuel will be produced at a pilot plant in eastern Germany. A much larger 200,000 tonnes per year BTL plant is to begin construction next year to quickly ramp up supply.

According to Choren, SunDiesel;

• has a high cetane number and therefore much better ignition performance than conventional diesel fuel,
• has no aromatics or sulfur and significantly reduces pollutants from exhaust emissions,
• can be used without any adjustment to existing infrastructure or engine systems,
• is largely CO₂-neutral.

Shell has also just announced a construction of a cellulosic ethanol plant in Idaho with help from a $80 million U.S. federal grant which will run on plant waste and straw.

Analysis: Shell is already the world's biggest biofuel distributor and appears to be moving aggressively to retain their crown. BTL is a very exciting technology and will play a huge role over the next twenty years once the price comes down enough to compete with petroleum fuels.

Related:

• Africa to become the world's biodiesel supplier?
• Editorial: Analyzing President Bush's short speech on electric cars and cellulosic ethanol
• Effective cellulosic ethanol processes would help prevent forest fires

[Source: The Australian]