The Road to Zero

[PurgerUK]

Considering how far electric cars have come in the last 5 years another 22 should see some major improvements in range and particularly cost. Even if all of the numerous advanced battery technologies that are currently being developed don't pan out you can always fall back on hydrogen for long range travelling though there would have to be a massive investment in fuel stations compared to electricity that is already ubiquitous. The major thing being ignored though is that hybrids will not be banned so what's the problem ? Most manufacturers already have hybrid models and no doubt hybrid vans as well.
Depressing to see so many people seem to be buying into the Trump line of global warming conspiracies.

 

[Pedro17]

All of the newer diesel engines and all of the slightly modified old ones can run on biodiesel. It produces almost as much horsepower as regular diesel. We can grow crops to make it forever.

 

[dhmotor]

Setting a target forces the industry to invest in this area of car manufacture, meaning that it will develop very quickly in the years coming up to and after 2040( such as creating longer lasting batteries)

You can't mandate innovation - just ask the WEC. More than likely a battery tech breakthrough will come from something totally unrelated. Given the toxic nature of the life cycle, I am surprised people are so myopic about electric cars. Sure, the car itself produces zero emissions, but the electricity comes from somewhere, the batteries are not everlasting and will become a toxic waste issue, battery production is not environmentally friendly, and the focus on electric cars stunts what has been remarkable progress in increasing the efficiency and cleanliness of the ICE. So while the UK can feel good about whisking around silently in their e-cars, the collateral damage of the feel good movement will mount unchecked until it is as big, if not a bigger, problem.

 

[Koen Verlinde]

Climate economy is hitting new highs and lows everyday and in the end the climate will change regardless. But it's BIG money in the meantime before everyone finds out it was the best way to tax everybody out of the few moneyz they still had left.

 

[Richard Dastardly]

All of the newer diesel engines and all of the slightly modified old ones can run on biodiesel. It produces almost as much horsepower as regular diesel. We can grow crops to make it forever.

Or there's bioethanol which you can use to replace petrol, and other biofuels. Problem is making enough of it - we use *vast* amounts - which is where PIH is a good idea. You can't recover energy with a normal ICE install either.

Ethanol produces CO2 when it's burned, and that's it. I don't know why we aren't using more of it already...

 

[Pedro17]

1975:

2006:

 

[Philip Antonia]

The UK (my home) couldn't organise a bang in a fireworks factory, let alone get this to be viable to the masses!!

 

[RaceMan763]

Climate change is a natural event that our planet has been through several times in it's history as far as science can understand, the last ice age was only 20 thousand yrs ago. 1 volcano can emit more CO2 in one major eruption than we do in 12 months of car emissions, and considering there are 6 active volcano's on the surface of the planet, what we emit as a race is negligible.

https://www.climate.gov/news-featur...-carbon-dioxide-volcanoes-or-human-activities

Human activities—mostly burning of coal and other fossil fuels, but also cement production, deforestation and other landscape changes—emitted roughly 40 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2015

In a 2011 peer-reviewed paper, U.S. Geologic Survey scientist Terry Gerlach summarized five previous estimates of global volcanic carbon dioxide emission rates that had been published between 1991 and 1998. [...] The global estimates fell within a range of about 0.3 ± 0.15 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, implying that human carbon dioxide emissions were more than 90 times greater than global volcanic carbon dioxide emissions.

But of course that's just climate change propaganda of 99% of scientists paid by some nebulous shadowy cabal of "climate change industry" that apparently has enough money to outpay the whole rest of the industry that would have an actual interest in not having more regulation.

 

[paracletus]

They must invent a zero emission fuel that allows the glorious v12 combustion engine to run indefinitely without harming the environment. Electric will never replace it

 

[PurgerUK]

All of the newer diesel engines and all of the slightly modified old ones can run on biodiesel. It produces almost as much horsepower as regular diesel. We can grow crops to make it forever.

Of course forget about feeding the many billions in the world concentrate on perpetuating 20th century technology

 

[ncj195r]

Many of the politicians that came up with this won't even be around in 2040. Climate change is real but this is an unrealistic solution . Maybe they'll get us to use a horse and cart but then who'll clean up the **** on the road ? There's always a problem isn't there ?!!

 

[Richard Dastardly]

They must invent a zero emission fuel that allows the glorious v12 combustion engine to run indefinitely without harming the environment. Electric will never replace it

They don't need to, we already have them & always have - just impractical to mass produce. There's an environmental hit in just building the engine, of course.

Of course forget about feeding the many billions in the world concentrate on perpetuating 20th century technology

And your 21st century EV is going to be charged by electricity from where? and it's components are all environmentally clean to produce? get off your high horse, the only way we'll travel without affecting anyone is to walk.

 

[InsaneOzzie]

Many of the politicians that came up with this won't even be around in 2040. Climate change is real but this is an unrealistic solution . Maybe they'll get us to use a horse and cart but then who'll clean up the **** on the road ? There's always a problem isn't there ?!!

Yeah agreed, but at least the on the road would be re-recyclable! and the gov could employ local peeps to pick it up, see solving employment problems too. Don't get why politicians say it's a tough job

 

[Will Mazeo]

Yeah agreed, but at least the on the road would be re-recyclable! and the gov could employ local peeps to pick it up, see solving employment problems too. Don't get why politicians say it's a tough job

Because these politicians get votes by offering free stuff to people that dont work pretending the rich ones can pay for it all

 

[InsaneOzzie]

They don't need to, we already have them & always have - just impractical to mass produce. There's an environmental hit in just building the engine, of course.

It would seem most things developed for the modern human lifestyle has a negative aspect to it, whether it be in production or post consumption........we really are like a cancer on the planet.

 

[Pedro17]

get off your high horse, the only way we'll travel without affecting anyone is to walk.

Do you have any idea how many ants get stepped on every day? You need to check your Homo sapiens privilege.

 

[InsaneOzzie]

Because these politicians get votes by offering free stuff to people that dont work pretending the rich ones can pay for it all

Lets not get into that one here mate, it's the same for many countries sadly, but that's what the "Westminster system" is all about.

 

[pjlee1998]

Glad the government are stepping up. Alternative energy is the way forward and steps need to be made so the infrastructure is there too. But in the 20 years leading up to this, the government need to promote the use of alternative energy. Forget solar, wind, hydro - what about LPG and Methane, both popular in mainland Europe but something people in the UK seem to forget about.

Both my families cars run on LPG and we not only save on pollution (NOx 95% less, CO2 15% less) but also on money (I am aware LPG isn't taxed as highly as petrol/ diesel) when LPG is 55p a litre. The infrastructure for LPG is there and any car can run on LPG - it just makes sense.

More info here: https://www.calor.co.uk/news/lpg-autogas-practical-affordable-solution-uks-air-quality-crisis/

(I'm not an LPG ambassador or anything, I just think its a wasted opportunity).

 

[ozm8ey]

If global warming is true then why is so god damn cold this year?

 

[Turk]

If global warming is true then why is so god damn cold this year?

Tis the hottest summer in something like half a century in Ireland, 3 weeks with no rain, the country was on the verge of a water crisis. It started raining on Friday though so it's all good. If it went another week it would have caused all sorts of trouble.

It's probably a freak event. If it's really global warming then I think Ireland should drop out of the Paris agreement too, this summer has been great.