In 2008 there was a big push for Diesel cars with lower road tax being offered as an incentive. There was a definite sustainable plan in place which was meant to ensure that diesel was a new and clean fuel. To put it into simple terms, it had been proposed that by 2020, 50% of the diesel that we buy from the pumps would be biodiesel. This never happened. Whether the big oil companies stuck their oar in or the government just sat back is just anyone's guess. I'd suspect both to be honest.
But the fact is that huge numbers of people bought into it. 2008 saw record car sales despite it being in the middle of a recession. We invested in, what we were told, was the future of cars in this country. 10 short years later, the goalposts have not only moved, but they were taken down and replaced with something totally different. It's very clear to see that the government have no strategy designed for this. It appears to me that it's just a ploy to increase car tax and tax on diesel which they lost out on since 2008. They want us to go to electric cars, but the fact is that if I went out and bought an electric car in the morning, I would not be able to drive it in the same way as I drive my diesel car. Charging facilities are few and far between. The charge that these cars hold would not do my daily commute.
What about a hybrid? When you analyse it, is it any cleaner than my diesel? The simple fact is that before it even reaches my door as a new car, the pollution caused in manufacturing 1 battery for a hybrid is greater than the total amount of pollution that my diesel car will cause over a life span of 10 years. Considering that you would probably need a new battery for the hybrid after 200,000km, it doesn't hold a candle to a diesel car.
So the irish government wants to meet EU emission regulations while at the same time making money. They have regulate the hell out of the car industry. they are starting to put the squeeze on people to move away from what they encouraged people to buy only 10 years ago, yet they have not got proper infrastructure in place for these vehicles. Nor do they care about extra pollution that happens in poorer countries just so long as they reach their targets.
A good number of points you raise there, a few quick ones to add myself.
- A hybrid, at the end of the day, is no more than a petrol/diesel car with a very big battery.
- The best batteries use Cobalt, there is simply not enough of this mineral to convert all vehicles to battery power globally.
- 50% biofuel mix may be workable in petrol, but not presently in diesel where the practical level is 7% in unmodified engines.
- On street charging involves cables hanging across pavements as a trip hazard.
- Electric Vehicles will require vehicle tracking to be taxed. Big privacy/data issue there.
- Electric vehicles are heavier and cause more road damage.
- We hear a lot about new technology, that technology also applies to engines and they are getting ever cleaner and more efficient, the eco-gap between battery and liquid fueled cars is closing all the time, if there ever was much of a one.
- Power from renewables may well prove not to be that eco friendly after all.
- Despite bribes and threats, only 2% of the UK car market is for electric vehicles.
It's a total mess and quite frankly I don't think governments (not just the Irish one) have a clue as to what they are doing. Brazil though, continues to use bio-ethanol. They seem to have got it right although there are land clearance issues involved with its production.