With the latest dire warnings on health issues attributed to diesels, are the days of diesel over? Can the latest turbo petrol powered cars provide enough torque to tow well?
Raywood said:As someone looking at replacing the car I am not sure which way to go. A diesel would be the better for my purposes but if the current attack on diesels continues then I am not sure it would be worth anything when it comes to the time to replace that one.
It does appear that several cities could be charging diesels to enter by 2020 although that looks a bit earlier than practical to me. I do not know if this is going to be the city centre or a far larger area and at what level the charges will be levied. What is clear is that a large number of cars in cities are there on business, if they are charged if diesels then suddenly petrol will be the fuel of choice and the market for diesels will be gone overnight.
As we have a MTPLM of only 1350 kg we are likely to have a fair choice but for those with heavier caravans life might become more difficult. Any thoughts on suitable petrol engined cars.
pitpony said:it will never happen what about all the unsold diesel will that shove up the price of petrol, then you have all your black taxi cabs, farmers running round in old diesel Land Rovers so out go the Tories at the next election, what ever the price of fuel in this country we are ripped off my lad still pays well under a $ a gallon in the States,
pitpony said:it will never happen what about all the unsold diesel will that shove up the price of petrol, then you have all your black taxi cabs, farmers running round in old diesel Land Rovers so out go the Tories at the next election, what ever the price of fuel in this country we are ripped off my lad still pays well under a $ a gallon in the States,
otherclive said:pitpony said:it will never happen what about all the unsold diesel will that shove up the price of petrol, then you have all your black taxi cabs, farmers running round in old diesel Land Rovers so out go the Tories at the next election, what ever the price of fuel in this country we are ripped off my lad still pays well under a $ a gallon in the States,
Its true that within London Black cabs are said to be responsible for one third of NOX and PM2.5/10 pollution. Given Londons overall problems with air quality (and other uk cities too) the new Ultra Low Emission Zone is being introduced in 2020 and covers the same area as the Congestion Zone. If you are above the stated level you will pay to enter it in addition to the charges for the CZ. From January 2018 no new diesel taxis will be licensed in London. Any new taxi must be Zero Emissions Capable with CO2 less than 50gm/km and a minimum range of 30 miles without emissions. Any taxi requiring an internal combustion engine must be petrol and still have a 30 mile ZEC range. There are also some pretty stringent conditions on new Private Hire cars too. And older vehicles must be taken off the road within a given timescale, supported by grants.
As you can imagine the restrictions on cars will be equally tough. A petrol car to EU4 can enter the zone until 2020, so that means cars14 years old by 2020 will have to pay the charges after that date. For diesels registered by September 2015 they must be EU6 and again after 2020 will have to pay the ULEZ charge.. Residents will be "encouraged" to buy cleaner cars!
There a whole raft of details on the TFL ULEZ website covering commercial vehicle etc. Suffice to say what London does today other cities will be following tomorrow. The push for cleaner vehicles is two pronged. One to make them more efficient by getting weight down and improving aerodynamics, the second is by developing powertrain and driver aid technology. The pace with which these changes will arrive should not be underestimated.
Even allowing for the fact that the US gallon is less than the Imperial gallon I don't think that fuel prices in the US are at such a low price. The average price for petrol per US gallon is $2.14. (EIA website) , with the west coast quite a bit higher. But its still cheap even at that price.
otherclive said:...One to make them more efficient by getting weight down and improving aerodynamics, the second is by developing powertrain and driver aid technology. The pace with which these changes will arrive should not be underestimated....