Cars and air pollution.

[fallen-archie]

Before the current VW scandal surfaced there were concerns being raised about the effect of Diesel engines on Air quality. Looking back a few years the main culprits were commercial vehicles, most of us will remember the belches of blue/black fumes from exhausts. Clearly some progress has been made yet the compensation lawyers are hovering in expectation of the next great commercial give away. So who is right, who is to blame and will you give up your car to reduce the impact on the environment?

[joamur_gosof]

Dont smoke over children in cars it might cause breathing problems . hope that helps 🙂

[fallen-archie]

Erm? Yes I suppose the car bit is on topic:)
I did see a report which said that if you are inside the car the emissions are reduced substantially by particulate filters linked to climate control and air con. Pedestrians and cyclists get the worst deal.

[evoman3957]

In all my time of driving just about anything with wheels or tracks on it, I've never heard an individual say that their decision to buy a car was influenced by the emissions it gave out. Those that couldn't afford much, bought what we used to lovingly call bangers and emissions definitely didn't concern them. Those that could afford what they wanted, bought for looks, power, reliability, economical fuel consumption, cheap to run ( servicing etc. ) but what emissions they gave out; was never on the agenda. Governments make policy on traffic pollution, because they are bound by pollution made by ALL vehicles. Individuals are only concerned by one Car.........THEIRS. So when large Motor manufacturers, produce software to deliberately circumvent national or international laws or regulations; they do so for their own benefit and without a care for the future health and well being of millions. Individuals automatically presume ( with the laws and regulations that their governments have put in place ) that the Car they buy ( new at least ) does what it says on the Tin.

[logbox]

I bought a car that was big enough to put two bicycles in the back so we could go for leisurely rides, 3 years later I still have not got around to buying the bikes!

[fallen-archie]

Very Nice

 

[logbox]

No thats my tourer.

[fallen-archie]

Wanna bike then?

[logbox]

The red one on the bottom please.

[fallen-archie]

That ones on a bogof 🙂

[evoman3957]

There were that many crashes in this year's "Tour de France" that I thought that van ^^^^^ was the service vehicle for next year.

[soppysofty]

Petrol has always been a lesser polutant than diesel.

Lorrys etc. use diesel because nobody has yet made a petrol engine that can carry the weights that large lorries/buses carry.

For example, to replicate the amount of torque that a 3 ltr diesel engine develops you would need about a 16ltr petrol engine.

3ltr diesel engine in a truck gives about 15 mpg whereas a 16ltr petrol engine would give about 2mpg.

The fuel, however, is not the real issue.

Any car/lorry/bus uses more pollutants to make it than it will produce in its whole working life.

For a car to be carbon neutral it would need to be super reliable to drive the necessary mileage to recoup the pollution it generated when it was made.

The latest figures say that a little 1ltr petrol engined car would need to complete 1 285 345 miles to become carbon neutral.

[evoman3957]

Not to mention marine diesel engines......if they were petrol engines, Ships wouldn't be able to carry enough fuel for many of the journeys they do.

[lambsy_uk]

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@fallen-archie wrote:
Before the current VW scandal surfaced there were concerns being raised about the effect of Diesel engines on Air quality. Looking back a few years the main culprits were commercial vehicles, most of us will remember the belches of blue/black fumes from exhausts. Clearly some progress has been made yet the compensation lawyers are hovering in expectation of the next great commercial give away. So who is right, who is to blame and will you give up your car to reduce the impact on the environment?

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No I will not be giving up my car and I will not be overly concerning myself with environmental impact.

I have to say though; "at least they are finally discussing something tangible"! The impact on air quality, on our local environment, on us as individuals; rather bollox about climate change and saving the planet!

It was bollox about saving the planet which helped lead to this mess as diesel engine produce lower carbon emmissions and so they became the preferred engine in the battle to meet Co2 reduction targets.

I have always said that if people tried to persuede me to change my habbits for the sake of the local environment then I would be willing to listen. Air pollution, waterway pollution, litter and waste reduction etc. But instead they had to try to feed us balls about climate change and saving the planet, and that's whare I and many switch off.

They need to Keep It Real!!!

[evoman3957]

Apparently, it's not a natural occurring cycle, the last time the World was covered in tropical rain forest ;it was caused by all the Dinosaurs braking wind and then when they all got wiped out by a Meteor / Comet; that plunged the World into an ice age for hundreds of years. When that cleared, everything was hunky dory; until those pesky humans came along with their Diesel Engines.

[fallen-archie]

Perhaps. Picking up Lamb chops line we should build more canals and resort to oars and Rowlocks

[evoman3957]

I think Lambsy was trying to say that, on a Global level, there's not much point in us ( UK ) beating ourselves up about not doing enough; when China, Russia, India etc.etc. are chucking out pollution like there's no tomorrow.......dwarfing any pathetic efforts WE might make ( considering we all share the same air on this Planet ). However, had the ethos been more proportionate........like improving our own direct environment; one would have been more inclined to understand it and possibly act accordingly.

[lambsy_uk]

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@evoman3957 wrote:

I think Lambsy was trying to say that, on a Global level, there's not much point in us ( UK ) beating ourselves up about not doing enough; when China, Russia, India etc.etc. are chucking out pollution like there's no tomorrow.......dwarfing any pathetic efforts WE might make ( considering we all share the same air on this Planet ). However, had the ethos been more proportionate........like improving our own direct environment; one would have been more inclined to understand it and possibly act accordingly.

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Even with actions from China, Russia, India etc. we would make little impact on a problem that is largely out of our hands! We could make a difference to our local environments and if that had a small effect on the wider environment then good, but to ever suggest that we should be on a crusade to save the planet was rediculous!

People can act on things that are tangible and achieveable but attention is lost when implausibility is introduced!

[upthecreekyetagain]

The planet doesn't need saving - we can't kill it.  Whatever we might do, from diesel engines to nuclear holocaust will make little difference in the great scheme of things.  Give it a few million years and it will be fine - we won't though!

[lambsy_uk]

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@upthecreekyetagain wrote:

The planet doesn't need saving - we can't kill it.  Whatever we might do, from diesel engines to nuclear holocaust will make little difference in the great scheme of things.  Give it a few million years and it will be fine - we won't though!

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And there endeth the lesson!