Car buyers should have 'long, hard think' about diesel

[numtumfutunch]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39088631

No mention in the above article of government policy heavily pushing the masses towards diesel in the first place

[davepoth]

It was the thing to do at the time, based on the policy handed down by the EU. I always thought it was a bad idea, and even though I do enough miles to make it financially sensible I haven't had a diesel because I wasn't convinced about the argument.

[anonymous-user]

About time. Filthy things.

[untakenname]

Hopefully it will get the publicity it deserves, how many people are killed by speeding each year compared to how many are killed by diesels?
Wonder what Brake and all the other 'road safety' companies will make of this.

[davepoth]

Funkycoldribena said:

And you don't think it'll be something else after this?

Unlikely. The marginal CO2 emissions saving from diesel are outweighed by the issues caused by NOx and particulates. We're on a fairly short path towards alternative fuel vehicles now anyway, so IMO the next big scandal is going to be the way in which batteries are sent to the developing world for recycling.

[Pothole]

Surely the recent popularity of diesels reflects the general populace's eagerness to believe any hype in the belief they can save money rather than doing any research such as that suggested in the article.

I've recently put a deposit down for my first brand spanker on the obligatory PCP (I've stopped short of getting a sofa and 76" TV from Brighthouse so I'm not totally un-PH) and I have gone for the 1.4 turbo petrol rather than the diesel simply because of the type of shortish, mostly urban commuting it'll be used for the majority of the time.

[davepoth]

Funkycoldribena said:

Doesn't that prove my point?
Even though I think mass EV usage is way further in the future than most think.

Why do you say that? I have a fairly typical commute - 30 miles each way, five days a week. I'm lucky to have a driveway so I could plug in at home, and there's a car park at the office so it's conceivable that (with a government incentive perhaps) I could plug in there too.

The Tesla model S has the same range as my car on a full tank, and if I'm in a situation where I can't stop for more than half an hour after driving for four hours I know I'm in trouble.

The technology is already available, and it's now good enough for a lot of people to use without any issue at all. It's too expensive right now but that will change, and battery technology is improving every year since it has so many applications in so many fields.

[vonuber]

Funkycoldribena said:

And you don't think it'll be something else after this?

Yes, Fluoride in the water stealing your essence.

[jurbie]

article said:

Mr Grayling told the Mail: "People should take a long, hard think about what they need, about where they're going to be driving, and should make best endeavours to buy the least polluting vehicle they can.
"I don't think diesel is going to disappear but someone who is buying a car to drive around a busy city may think about buying a low-emission vehicle rather than a diesel."

Seems sensible to me. I bought a 2 year old diesel which had just 9500 miles on it which I doubled in 4 months. I think that justifies me owning a diesel but what the previous owners excuse was I have no idea although I suspect the £20/year VED may have had an influence.

I don't think it's possible to educate people as they only see the cost of VED and the idea that diesel is more economical. The fact that my trip computer is giving me 200 more miles in range since I bought the car probably won't cut much ice with such people so I think VED will be going up on diesels which is a shame but unless they can link it to mileage then I don't see another solution.

[s2art]

jurbie said:

Seems sensible to me. I bought a 2 year old diesel which had just 9500 miles on it which I doubled in 4 months. I think that justifies me owning a diesel but what the previous owners excuse was I have no idea although I suspect the £20/year VED may have had an influence.

I don't think it's possible to educate people as they only see the cost of VED and the idea that diesel is more economical. The fact that my trip computer is giving me 200 more miles in range since I bought the car probably won't cut much ice with such people so I think VED will be going up on diesels which is a shame but unless they can link it to mileage then I don't see another solution.

They will raise the tax on diesel fuel.

[XCP]

I did. And brought a petrol car. I'd have a petrol van too, if they made them.

[csd19]

Funkycoldribena said:

wormus said:

About time. Filthy things.

And you don't think it'll be something else after this?

Next it'll be the direct injection petrol engines, as although they are more efficient from mpg and CO2 standpoints, they also produce particulate emissions. So I would expect an enforcement of GPF fitment at some point...

[tuffer]

They should maybe take a look at the queues of Buses in Central London belching out Diesel fumes, mostly empty and sat going nowhere. I have just bought another Diesel X5, as an everyday do it all load lugger it's hard to beat. Had a D car in the fleet for the last few years, A4 TDi, 330D, 530D, X5 40D and now X5 M50D, love the way they drive and deliver power/torque.

[loose cannon]

Apparently diesel is going up to £3.10 a litre for private vehicles next week

[NordicCrankShaft]

Funkycoldribena said:

What about all the people who live in flats?
Lorry and van drivers?
Taxi drivers?
The list is endless, its way off at the moment.

Or those of us who just plain and simple don't want an electric car.

I had an eGolf for the best part of a year in a country where EV sales are some of the highest in the world, the infrastructure is there and has been for a number of years. I hated the experience. The problems being faced now are properly functioning charge points, constantly monitoring how I drive in order to save juice, then there's the other issues such as how green exactly is the sourcing and extraction of the lithium used in the batteries? What's happening with the batteries when they're done with?

[Mr Snrub]

davepoth said:

Funkycoldribena said:

Doesn't that prove my point?
Even though I think mass EV usage is way further in the future than most think.

Why do you say that? I have a fairly typical commute - 30 miles each way, five days a week. I'm lucky to have a driveway so I could plug in at home, and there's a car park at the office so it's conceivable that (with a government incentive perhaps) I could plug in there too.

The Tesla model S has the same range as my car on a full tank, and if I'm in a situation where I can't stop for more than half an hour after driving for four hours I know I'm in trouble.

The technology is already available, and it's now good enough for a lot of people to use without any issue at all. It's too expensive right now but that will change, and battery technology is improving every year since it has so many applications in so many fields.

Driveway and work car park are the operative words - many do not have either

[Pothole]

XCP said:

I did. And brought a petrol car. I'd have a petrol van too, if they made them.

Where did you bring it from?

[Saleen836]

I would happily have a petrol van if it cost me the same to run as my diesel one, I would even consider the electric van from Nissan but the cost to buy and it's 70-80 mile range (most likely 50-60miles with the weight I carry) is very restrictive, and I have yet to see a new build construction site with a charging point for electric vehicles!

[davepoth]

Mr Snrub said:

Driveway and work car park are the operative words - many do not have either

But a lot of people do. Here are some stats.

http://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/overnight-p...

about 80% of people have some form of off-road parking at home. If even 50% of people have off-road parking at work that would be a 90% chance that a person would have somewhere to plug in every work day - and I guess it would be higher than that.

[Mr Snrub]

davepoth said:

Mr Snrub said:

Driveway and work car park are the operative words - many do not have either

But a lot of people do. Here are some stats.

http://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/overnight-p...

about 80% of people have some form of off-road parking at home. If even 50% of people have off-road parking at work that would be a 90% chance that a person would have somewhere to plug in every work day - and I guess it would be higher than that.

I find those stats pretty hard to believe, just driving around your typical town or city will show far more than 20% of houses use on street parking. I'm sure the fact that saying it's parked off road will decrease your premium isn't a coincidence. Even if it was that high, it assumes that most will have a guaranteed space where they have the room and permission to install a charger. Of all the places I've worked that did offer parking none gave you a designated space. Ultimately, where would the money to install a network of millions of charging points come from?