Fossil Fuels
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 3:50 pm
The new (to us) car we purchased just before our recent break in The Kingdom of Fife wasn't exactly what I had in mind, very nearly but it had to be a diesel. It's a Vauxhall Zafira Tourer with the 2 litre diesel engine, but I wanted an automatic. Petrol automatics, if available, were 60% more expensive, which just wasn't viable.
The whole purpose was to carry us, the two mums and luggage for four and this it did admirably. As regards the issues around pollution it's a recent model and there was never so much as a hint of smoke or diesel smell the whole time. The particulate filter got a good warming with the four and a half hour journey there and back, so that should be totally clear and effective.
Fuel consumption is brilliant, with a range of just over 500 miles and hardly any refuelling during the whole week. Just so much better than our 1.8 Astra petrol car.
So we shall see how it evolves. This week diesel is bad, next week who knows. Even electric cars are not so environmentally friendly once the manufacturing process is factored in. I also don't fancy sitting on top of a massive bank of lithium batteries, which are prone to being a fire hazard. In any event, the range and cost are not tenable at this stage. We saw quite a few electric recharging pints on the motorway, but not one single car using them. It could take quite a while before the electric car takes over. Then we can wonder about how the electricity is generated in the first place.
The whole purpose was to carry us, the two mums and luggage for four and this it did admirably. As regards the issues around pollution it's a recent model and there was never so much as a hint of smoke or diesel smell the whole time. The particulate filter got a good warming with the four and a half hour journey there and back, so that should be totally clear and effective.
Fuel consumption is brilliant, with a range of just over 500 miles and hardly any refuelling during the whole week. Just so much better than our 1.8 Astra petrol car.
So we shall see how it evolves. This week diesel is bad, next week who knows. Even electric cars are not so environmentally friendly once the manufacturing process is factored in. I also don't fancy sitting on top of a massive bank of lithium batteries, which are prone to being a fire hazard. In any event, the range and cost are not tenable at this stage. We saw quite a few electric recharging pints on the motorway, but not one single car using them. It could take quite a while before the electric car takes over. Then we can wonder about how the electricity is generated in the first place.