EU, UK want to phase out diesels

[cuts_off_prius]

Bad news for diesel connoisseurs in Europe.

The End Of Diesel Will Happen Faster Than We Expected

Reuters quote:

The new measures will eventually take diesel cars off the roads, European Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska said.

“Diesel will not disappear from one day to another,” Bienkowska told EU lawmakers on Tuesday. “But after this year of work ... I am quite sure they will disappear much faster than we can imagine.”

Under the draft law, car makers would no longer directly pay testing agency - in a bid to break their cozy relationships. EU nations now have to fund car exhaust testing centers - although they may levy fees from car makers to do so.

Brussels would get powers to carry out vehicle spot-checks and levy fines, while national authorities would be able to peer-review each other’s decisions.

The War On Diesel Is Getting Serious With £20 Daily Penalties For Driving Into Cities




Carthrottle:

That means that, say, a 2004 Ford Focus diesel would cost at least £20 a day to drive into central London, or potentially at least £32.50 a day if the mayor decides to include older diesel cars in the wider anti-pollution initiative. That would be pretty crippling, and drivers would be forced to take a huge hit on the resale value of their cars in order to swap to something newer or not diesel-powered.

Basically, if you drive an old, polluting diesel and don’t have the money to replace it, be somewhere other than London.

The bad news for diesel drivers continues, with extra taxes on new diesel cars set to be announced in the Autumn budget. Don’t rule out diesel fuel duty increases, either.

[trollbait]

Sounds heavy handed, or throwing the baby out with the bath water. Better testing, which Europe also needs of petrol cars, and tighter emission regulations, would require US level of emission controls on diesels. This would speed up improvements to the technology and lower the cost for both markets.

But I was behind a diesel pick up on the way home yesterday. It had the up right exhaust stacks and laid a smog bank every time the accelerator was pushed. So I understand why some would want diesels to just go away.

To paraphrase something I heard about loud motorcycles, "smokey pipes lose rights."

[Draigflag]

As always, penalise everyone in the entire country, even though pollution is only a problem in a few select cities here and there. I feel sorry for the poorer people who are forced to drive older cars, not sure how this is fair to them, they'll probably just have to give up driving all together.

[14Corolla]

Gee.... I thought diesels in EU, England, were a bright spot? The great mileage I hear about?
What about that Mitsubishi SUV diesel that gets great mileage and is the most popular selling vehicle in England? I remember that.
How can these vehicles be polluting so badly. When they're burning such small amounts of fuel?

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by trollbait

Sounds heavy handed, or throwing the baby out with the bath water. Better testing, which Europe also needs of petrol cars, and tighter emission regulations, would require US level of emission controls on diesels. This would speed up improvements to the technology and lower the cost for both markets.

But I was behind a diesel pick up on the way home yesterday. It had the up right exhaust stacks and laid a smog bank every time the accelerator was pushed. So I understand why some would want diesels to just go away.

To paraphrase something I heard about loud motorcycles, "smokey pipes lose rights."

Those types of setups are illegal as they have removed or disabled the emissions equipment on the vehicle.

[Draigflag]

Originally Posted by 14Corolla

Gee.... I thought diesels in EU, England, were a bright spot? The great mileage I hear about?
What about that Mitsubishi SUV diesel that gets great mileage and is the most popular selling vehicle in England? I remember that.
How can these vehicles be polluting so badly. When they're burning such small amounts of fuel?

Diesels are still popular making around 50% of sales in the UK, and up to 75% in parts of Europe. People love great mileage, but if they are taxed to death, people simply won't justify the extra costs. You're thinking of the Mitsubishi Plug in, which is the best selling plug in vehicle in the UK, there is a diesel version too.

[trollbait]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

Those types of setups are illegal as they have removed or disabled the emissions equipment on the vehicle.

I am aware of that, and there are likely more gasoline cars circumventing emission controls on our roads, but this is just so blatant.

I'd like to see diesels be given a fair chance by the American public. They could be a better solution for some, and might get to large scale renewable fuel before gasoline. Rolling coal just undermines that chance, and the idiots doing it will likely blame others when the manufacturers make the systems harder to modify and eventually stop offering a diesel.

They all deserve a neighbor that plays their 180 decibel stereo at 2am.

[SteveMak]

I'm tech-agnostic, but I favor reduced harmful emissions from internal combustion engines (ICE). In my mind, what makes best sense is:

1. Define realistic but aggressive emission targets.
2. Define a testing methodology that reflects real-world conditions as closely as possible (therefore, real-world emissions will be close to their test-case numbers).
3. Disallow certification for sale of new vehicles over the limit (as now).
4. Incentivise people to drive cleaner.

This way, it doesn't matter if you're burning buffalo dung, so long as you're doing it in a legitimately clean(ish) manner.

Ultimately, we'll be driving EVs, but while we are still in the age of ICE, my proposal makes good sense.

[trollbait]

Originally Posted by SteveMak

I'm tech-agnostic, but I favor reduced harmful emissions from internal combustion engines (ICE). In my mind, what makes best sense is:

1. Define realistic but aggressive emission targets.
2. Define a testing methodology that reflects real-world conditions as closely as possible (therefore, real-world emissions will be close to their test-case numbers).
3. Disallow certification for sale of new vehicles over the limit (as now).
4. Incentivise people to drive cleaner.

This way, it doesn't matter if you're burning buffalo dung, so long as you're doing it in a legitimately clean(ish) manner.

Ultimately, we'll be driving EVs, but while we are still in the age of ICE, my proposal makes good sense.

+1
(we need a like button)

[cuts_off_prius]

Came across this petition via The Alliance of British Drivers. Draigflag might in interested in signing.

Please meet with FairFuelUK