Diesel cars - all bad?

almillar

Another issue of course, if we all started buying electric vehicles, power demand is going to go through the roof and this will almost certainly be used as an excuse for ramping up electricity prices.

You're missing out subtracting the power that WON'T be used because less fuel is being refined. Also, lots of charging will happen at home, overnight, off peak, when there is excess energy, so they will help smooth out the peaks and troughs of demand, making the network more efficient. And the 'smart grid' will help further.

Your little economical Fiesta diesel is pumping out the same stuff as some guy driving the same car in London, if we assume you're making the same journeys, it's just that he's in a concentration of pollution, whilst you're not. You're still pumping the same stuff into the planet's environment. If your point is about rural drivers making longer journeys, more suited to diesels, than a city driver that may make shorter journeys, on a cold, inefficient engine, then fair enough.

I hope diesel doesn't get demonised too much. It does have a place. That place is in places that need economy, big torque on long journeys. That's lorries and buses - you know, where diesel's always been?! It's also good for vans, and potentially off roaders or bigger cars that'll tow, or load luggers. Not suitable for school run mum, small cars and short journeys, that's where diesel's problems have come from.

andrewf75

Of course the press exaggerate. With the numbers of diesel cars on the road, I can't imagine anything dramatic will happen. Maybe a scrappage scheme for older ones. But having said that, I still think if you're buying a car it makes sense to go petrol.

Bonniepurple

I've always been told petrols for town work, diesels for long distance. I bought a diesel about 15 months ago as I did a lot of driving. Since then, our circumstances have changed and our mileage has dropped. When we replace the car, I'll get a petrol. I'm not changing just because the government has realised what my Dad told me 15 years ago. Both engines have pros and cons. Electric vehicles need charging- where will the electricity come from? Just because there's no emissions at the back of the car doesn't mean no emissions or environmental damage forever.

Robisere

I live in a rural area too. East Lyndsey, with the nearest large supermarket a 44 mile round trip and constant journeys between a village and town where my ds & dd live. I have a Motability 2.0 TDci C-Max and cannot have another when my lease ends soon, because only the 1.5 TDci is available now and the deposit is too high. So I am taking a Hyundai Tucson CRDi 1.7, because for me there is little density of traffic (hence fewer pollution concerns) and more economy from a diesel: especially if I fill up with Shell V-Power, which burns to produce better mpg and less carcinogens, with a smoother engine and better acceleration.

Ebe_Scrooge

Bonniepurple wrote: »

I've always been told petrols for town work, diesels for long distance. I bought a diesel about 15 months ago as I did a lot of driving. Since then, our circumstances have changed and our mileage has dropped. When we replace the car, I'll get a petrol. I'm not changing just because the government has realised what my Dad told me 15 years ago. Both engines have pros and cons. Electric vehicles need charging- where will the electricity come from? Just because there's no emissions at the back of the car doesn't mean no emissions or environmental damage forever.

Couldn't agree more. For those that do a lot of long-distance driving, diesels make eminent sense. And I certainly agree with your point about electric cars - where does the electricity to charge them come from ? From a bloody great power station, burning coal, that's where ! All they do is move the pollution out of cities - which may be fair enough, if smog is a problem. But it really annoys me beyond belief when we hear all this guff about "electric cars are zero-pollution" - testicles, that's just so wrong. It's a bit like the NHS being "free at the point of use" - electric cars are "zero pollution at the point of use". But neither are free when you look at the bigger picture.

< deep breath, climbs off soap-box >

thescouselander

Diesel is the devil's work IMO. That said I currently own a diesel because that is all that's available in the model and spec I wanted. The other potential cars I was looking at only came in diesel too. So its not so much a case of deciding which fuel is best but what is available to buy which is in turn a consequence of past government policy.

Lets face it, the government need to keep tax receipts up so in the end taxes will catch up with you whatever you do.

almillar

Electric vehicles need charging- where will the electricity come from? Just because there's no emissions at the back of the car doesn't mean no emissions or environmental damage forever.

Power stations, wind farms, solar panels. Whatever combination of those, it is LESS ENERGY being used to transport you. It means either NO or LESS environmental damage.
Please confirm you know where petrol and diesel come from.

From a bloody great power station, burning coal, that's where

Less and less likely to be coal. And again, wherever the energy comes from, LESS of it is required to move you!

all this guff about "electric cars are zero-pollution" - testicles, that's just so wrong

What should I call it if my dad charges his Leaf from his solar panels then? Stick a 'potentially' in there and we should all be happy. Petrol/diesel cars don't have that option.

< deep breath, climbs off soap-box >

Good idea, you've got it wrong.

Robisere

ALL renewables are originally manufactured, installed and supplied with a carbon footprint. By 2025 there will be NO coal-fired Power stations, there are very few left by now anyway.
ALL renewable energy sources operating now in the UK, are producing 25% of the nation's energy. I live near the Lincolnshire coast and can stnd on one central beach and see hundreds of wind turbines to the north and south. None of this does anything for Lincolnshire, it all goes into the National Grid and on to the urban areas. We get power cuts all the time. Someone explain that to me please.

Let's not pretend that all we have to do is live in a mud hut and gather wood, OK?

bertiewhite

phoenix_w wrote: »

Diesel cars are one of the biggest cons of our time - a classic example of how marketing can sell a product suitable for only a small amount of drivers to the wider market. It'd be interesting to see how many drivers actually save money from them when factoring in the higher purchase price, fuel savings and maintenance costs - my money would be on fewer than half of purchasers actually saving anything.

You're assuming we all buy new vehicles.

I used to drive a 12 yr old Peugeot Partner 1.9D with the old XUD engine. It had 179000 miles on the clock, looked like a Baghdad taxi and only cost me a couple of hundred quid. I did absolutely no maintenance in the 3 years I had it apart from fit new tyres for an MOT and it gave me about 45mpg and I put another 40000 on the clock. I accidentally put petrol in it twice and also some waste aircraft fuel which had water in it and it still refused to die. By contrast I had to cosset the wife's fiesta which returned slightly worse mpg and I would still have it now if we didn't need a 4x4 to tow a horse box.

Bonniepurple

It's not just the fuel though. It's the overall environmental impact. Lithium needs mining. That causes environmental damage. Electricity, whether from traditional or renewable sources, causes an environmental impact. Wind turbines have been known to affect bird populations. Solar panels take up a great deal of land. Hydroelectric power floods large areas.

To me, it's about balance. I drive a middle aged diesel which is not the cleanest vehicle, but is the best car for my needs that I could afford at that point. Buying a new, greener, petrol or electric car would cost me money!