The future of Diesel cars

Victoria has 430 billion tonnes of brown coal, 33 Billion in reserve and only uses about 60 million per year, but only has 5000 MW given hazelwood shut down. Pathetic.
 
There are more than 1,600 new, coal fired power plant builds planned for the next decade, almost half in China.
Based on that, being berated for using a truck that does 28mpg is utter bolleaux & I'll continue to ignore any exhortations to "go green".
Even more so, as I've yet to see any senior politicians pointing to the real elephant in the room: there are 6bn more people on the planet than it can actually sustain & at the current rate, it'll be 10bn too many by the end of the century.

Thankfully I'll be long gone by then.
 
All this go green stuff in the western european world makes no sense to me at all while other heavily industrialised, motorised and populated countrys do nothing.

The greatest disadvantage to us in the west is the amount of ‘green’ tax we have to pay so our lying, thieving, cheating politicians can go on more jollies.
They draw enough cash from duty on fuel and VAT on top of both fuel & duty on fuel.

It’s therefore my intention to remain with the internal combustion engine for the rest of my days.
Fall of diesel cars as in anything, is always down to politicians and media hype ... think loss of handguns and plastic as an examples.
 
If we wait long enough the powers at be will probably announce something like:- latest research shows that actually diesel powered cars was not as bad as we used to think.
 
Even more so, as I've yet to see any senior politicians pointing to the real elephant in the room: there are 6bn more people on the planet than it can actually sustain & at the current rate, it'll be 10bn too many by the end of the century.

That just about sums it up.
 
For those that have been to cities with high smog such as mumbai and santiago i believe EV will make these much nicer places to breathe. I do believe there is room for a mixture and regulation followed by the market will set the direction as long as the cost differential is not so far out of whack by the average punter.
 
That just about sums it up.

Does it though?

We are where we are and I don't want my selfishness affecting the world that my son will inherit along with the sons and daughters of everyone else. The world is what it is and the population expanding is all the more reason for all of us to be ever more responsible and look after the planet that we inhabit.

This isn't arguing that those driving cars that do 28mpg (mine is little better) should desist and buy a "Gee-Whizz" but it is arguing that we should have a more holistic world view on resources and health of the planet without allowing political bitterness and unilateralism to cloud our thoughts. Isn't it a good thing to consider the planet that sustains us and the future for our children?
 
Does it though?

We are where we are and I don't want my selfishness affecting the world that my son will inherit along with the sons and daughters of everyone else. The world is what it is and the population expanding is all the more reason for all of us to be ever more responsible and look after the planet that we inhabit.

It kind of does though.

The four lifestyle choices that most reduce your carbon footprint | Lund University

Main take away: Swap to a completely car free lifestyle - save 2.4 tonnes of CO2 PA. Have one less child - save 58.6 tonnes PA (based on their future impact). Think of the children! Just don't have any.

For fun, we're apparently supposed to emit less than 2.1 tonnes PA total by 2050 to reach our climate objectives, and that's based on current population. Currently Australians emit 15.4, Brits 6.5 and Americans 16.5. Countries that are roughly on target? Peru, North Korea and Albania.

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC

Just a littl way to go then...
 
I like the idea of a plug in or re-charging hybrid, apart from the cost. My Mercedes C220 CDI is now nearly 11 years old and averages 51.8 on motorway journeys over 40 minutes. I drove it into central London through the traffic on Tuesday and averaged 42.3 on the round trip. As long as the particulate filters are up to scratch, good diesels should still have a future.
 
It kind of does though.

The four lifestyle choices that most reduce your carbon footprint | Lund University

Main take away: Swap to a completely car free lifestyle - save 2.4 tonnes of CO2 PA. Have one less child - save 58.6 tonnes PA (based on their future impact). Think of the children! Just don't have any.

For fun, we're apparently supposed to emit less than 2.1 tonnes PA total by 2050 to reach our climate objectives, and that's based on current population. Currently Australians emit 15.4, Brits 6.5 and Americans 16.5. Countries that are roughly on target? Peru, North Korea and Albania.

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC

Just a littl way to go then...

I'll dispute that claim anyway. The McKinsey study from a few years ago said the biggest single impact is the insulation for homes to reduce heating and cooling requirements, its not listed from what I can see and way out stripped being car free.

Interesting, but given Australia is a large primary producing export country, I'd like to know how much is a result of export industries.
 
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Ev's are part of the power production solution, rather than a problem. They will allow the grid to work in a smarter way and help with ironing out the peeks reducing the ultimate need for new power stations (although we will still need some).
We simply don't have the generating capacity in the grid for a switch to EV, not now and not by 2040 without some rapid decision making, changes to how procurement is made and without significant investment. The whole power generation state of affairs is a shambles, not helped by dithering successive governments refusing to commit to more nuclear power. A few years back before I started my own business, I was interviewed for and subsequently was offered the job as a project manager for the civils decommissioning aspect of two power stations. The interview was in multiple parts as they whittled 200 candidates down and the latter stages involved meetings with various parties employed by different organisations who were meant to be working together. It was a political farce, and one party was distrustful of the other with poor efficiencies for the schemes as a whole. I was appalled that something so important had been set up and run so badly so I refused to take the job (and am ever thankful for that decision).

Until the government gets its act together and our major grid infrastructure procurement is free from some of the EU shackles currently making decisions on best contract practice too inflexible, we won't meet demand any time soon, unless with over-priced foreign investment and lack of long term control of grid management and profits.

Until then, I see our best bet as solid state battery hybrid technology using smaller, more efficient petrol engines and solid state batteries. This technology is being heavily invested in by a few of the major players at present, including Ford, who were to release their first hybrid examples using I think 1.2 triple cylinder engines sometime during 2018/2019.

https://gas2.org/2017/03/04/solid-state-battery-may-next-great-leap-forward-technology/

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/01/30/ford-chief-plans-post-lithium-ion-world-touts-hybrids-autonomous-vehicles/
 
You won't want to drive a diesel when the new tax bands kick in next month and the new euro test is such that only electric cars will pass it apparently
 
Ev's are part of the power production solution, rather than a problem. They will allow the grid to work in a smarter way and help with ironing out the peeks reducing the ultimate need for new power stations (although we will still need some).

So if it takes all night (and more) to charge your ev you're going to plug it in at night and let them suck your battery dry ? It takes app 19 hours to fully charge a large battery, just when will anyone have the time to let the grid steal power?

and the new euro test is such that only electric cars will pass it apparently

That's a lot of folk without a vehicle then, the country would grind to a halt.
 
The average journey is just 24 miles a day. With smart grid you would be able to sell your power to the grid at peak, at multiples of the rate you buy it for. Alternatively at peak you switch to battery to save you paying peak grid. When the batteries are spent after 10 years they would still have lots of useful life to install in new homes reducing the whole life cost of the ev.
 
My sister lives in Birmingham, she can not guarantee to park on her street let alone out side her house. If she could she would need to run a power lead across the pavement to charge her car at night. Not going to happen. She drives to work and parks in a public car park with no means to connect to the grid. Can not charge her car or sell to the grid at a profit (peak time 9-5). Battery runs out and can not get home. Pure electric will never be practical without Billions being spent on a nation wide charging system. This would need a charging point for every Flat and house in the UK along with every parking slot in every car park. Hybrid makes sense petrol/diesel engine to charge batteries along with energy recovery system.
 
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