I think the bias against diesel, or biodiesel, is simply politics. Diesel is not well understood by the general public, it is not well accepted, and that makes for an easy target. Add the grief that the VW/Audi group did by fudging some numbers several years ago and diesel is politically doomed.
First, it is still an internal combustion engine. That is a deal breaker for Democrats aligned with the 'green agenda' theory.
Second, it has a history of black soot pouring out of trucks. Again, history and current technology are different, but most people only remember bad things.
So while BIO-diesel is possible, and efficient, it is still burning and therefore not carbon neutral.
Looking at ethanol and that is doomed too. We are entering vehicle model year 2024, only 6 years away from 2030 and some states OUTLAWING the sale of internal combustion engines and mandating BATTERY vehicles. Other states are looking at 2035, or 11 years out for eliminating internal combustion.
Personally I think the market should figure it out, and I don't think the public is going to run to battery power. Looking at the HYBRID vehicles available, for about the same price as a traditional I.C.E. only powered vehicle, a hybrid can drive up fuel economy 20-30% pushing large sedans and mid-sized SUVs into the 40mpg territory. That is NOT a plug in PHEV, those come with a steep price increase often a $10,000 bump for extra batteries. But a traditional Hybrid, like a Toyota RAV4, Toyota Camry or Hyundai Sonata, all of which are pretty mainstream vehicles, are in the 40+ mpg range, with only modest price bumps in costs.
If the environmentalists were also worried about destroying the economy and society, they would embrace hybrid vehicles instead of battery powered EVs. No new infrastructure is needed for Hybrids. No worries bout the electric grid crashing. But converting to Hybrids will dramatically reduce fuel consumption at very lower overall costs to society. But that just makes sense, and it dramatically would lower emissions, etc etc etc
