Allen begins by explaining the role money plays when it comes to technology. In the beginning, diesel engines were large. Downsizing them for land transportation presented challenges. Since people use money (capital) as an investment only when they see the potential for a return on investment, the incentive to put diesel engines in cars was not there. The was no market demand at the time.
The first diesel engines, circa 1890s, were of such a size as to be suitable only for ships and stationary powerplants. It wasn't till the 1930s that they had been downsized to fit into big trucks, tractors, construction equipment and the like. Ongoing developments slowly brought the idea closer of using diesel engines for cars and light trucks.
One of the big challenges, Allen notes, had to do with batteries. (Sidenote: We've seen this in recent decades as the world moves inexorably toward renewable energy. Batteries were heavy and expensive. The motivation to solve these problems has been high and progress is being made.)
The initial stumbling block for diesels was that cold weather depleted cranking power. Consumers had additional complaints about diesels in the past. There were noisy, smelly, rode rough and had limit rpm ranges. Add to this, the process for starting a diesel in the '40s and '50s was a pain, and they didn't deliver on power. The last nail in the coffin for diesels was the lack of filling stations that carried diesel fuel.
As a result of these factors, Allen writes that market demand in the U.S. was 20 year behind Europe. The 1973 gas crunch, however, proved to be a big kick in the pants to move things forward.
The funny thing is how the perception of diesel owners changed after that. Instead of being nerdy and weird, diesel owners were perceived as ahead of their time. Investment in infrastructure took place and suddenly owning a diesel was practical and made sense.
There were still hurdles to overcome for the diesel market. One of the biggest, Allen notes, was the lamentable Olds Diesels that GM introduced and sold from 1978 to '81. Since that time the diesel car market in the U.S. never recovered nor realized its potential.
All this serves as setup for a detailed chronology of diesel-powered light trucks and SUVs in the U.S. market up through the end of the '80s.
1957-73: Land Rover Series I and II Diesel SUVs and Pickups
