Where you source of info. lets see it

If I am, then why is diesel more expensive?

So despite what others have said diesel is not a waste product from petrol refining. And by the way your statement “it take 25% more energy to make diesel” is WRONG.
Do you know how fuels are made, probably not! Well its like this you basically heat up crude to 800-900degC, the various products are drawn off, the first the heavier fuels like DIESEL and Heating Oil, then at higher temperatures the kerosene and naptha, the building block for petrol, and finally gases propane and butane.
Therefore it actually takes less energy to make diesel as it is drawn off in a raw state, your petrol takes higher temperatures and then need further processing to make it into petrol, more energy required. So you wrong wrong wrong wrong and a bit more wrong,
All this info is available at the UKPIA website. There I’ve provided the evidence to back up my claim something you have NEVER done. Answer a question.. go on do it ANSWER A QUESTION.
Oh by the way I work in the petroleum industry my company build petrol stations and have to registered with UKPIA in order to carry out their work.

The thing is, in my opinion; hybrid isn’t a solution at all. It’s just shifting the pollution further up the production line.

But then I start to think about hybrids and how they work. Let me explain…. An engine is least fuel efficient at its coldest. Fuel injected cars are good at running at all sorts of operating temperatures, unlike old carbi cars. This is a good thing, but a cold engine runs richer. A cold engine won’t get up to operating temp as often or as quick as one running on petrol full time. A hybrid engine, although gets used more often than not, does it actually reach full operating temperature?

I guess this question is more specific to how the Prius and Honda’s fugly thing works. Do they use different oils? Are the engines designed to run from dead cold to full potential instantly without compromise? What are the service intervals for these hybrids?

I’ve heard people say that they fill up their Prius every 1000kms or something. I do the same in my Fiat. From my understanding petrol destroys the environment we live in. In effect, this is destroying ourselves, indirectly. Diesel apparently only affects living creatures but is safer (not precisely safe) on the environment. If this is true, then Diesel is better, using the same amount of fuel to travel the same distance but the difference being that a modern turbo diesel has some performance, where as with a general hybrid vehicle this is often the most complained about issue.

But then, with diesel we have other issues. It still uses oil. Sure there’s bio-diesel. But what then, create crops for fuel? Everyone knows that cultivation is actually bad for the land. Which is why farmers don’t use the same piece of land in two consecutive seasons. And this country is having enough of an issue farming anything anyway, with the drought and all.

So that leaves us with what?

I wrote an article about this many years ago in a mag about environmental issues. The conclusion was just as vague as it was before we started. But I did have one direction we could all head into. The answer is, we all need to change out lifestyles. Work close to home. Rely less on transport in general.

The truth is, this is crazy talk. This is the world we live in. We can’t just head back into the stone ages and consult with the Amish to see how we can live better without all these pollution causing, land stipping, resource sucking progress we have put ourselves into.

Saying all that, it would be nice. But I can’t live without my fast cars, internet connection and mobile phones. These all use oil to create and use. Everything these days does. And that is the sad part. The fact that we really really (yes, two really’s) rely on oil so much. But they banned asbestos and companies made alternatives with brake pads and clutch plates. What if oil was shut down production? What would happen if it was just stopped one day? Everyone would have an expensive water pump sitting in their driveway, that’s for sure. :)

Cheers
SteveC

What is stopping manufacturers creating a hydrogen car is that there is no infrastructure for it. But because there’s no cars to create the demand, infrastructure will never come about. The same mentality over at Nissan about a diesel X-Trail, “Our competitors haven’t released a diesel Soft Roader, there is no need to either.”

A full electric car sounds great. Until you have to plug it in to recharge. What is everyone going to do, run an extension cord out to the car when they get home from work? What about all those commuters that go to work which happens to be over 100kms away…. Remember, Australia is a big country with not much between towns. People regularly travel 100Km+ to work every day.

And then there are the batteries themselves. Never mind that charging them uses our fantastic electricity which is so cheap…. now…. will not only go up in price, it will also put a strain on the grid come 6pm when dady gets home for dinner and plugs the car in for the night. Then you have to replace those batteries every 4-5 years. Which in the Prius’ case is something like $2K last I heard. Don’t quote me on the price. But I’d rather spend that on something else, knowing that I’m not indirectly destroying the environment, because that’s what this is really about… right? riiight? The Environment? It’s not about making money. Is it?

Steve C

That is the simple fact. Zero carbon emissions at the tail pipe, because all the emissions are at the power station being fueled by wonderfully clean burning brown coal. ;-)

You justify my argument in your comment “Electric cars have been around as long as petrol cars”.

Now imagine if government and industry pump as much investment into them as the antiquated combustion engine instead of holding it back. (that’s right they don’t need oil do they?)

And with all the talk about batteries and the environmental impact these cars would have, the simple fact is they produce zero carbon emissions at the tail pipe.

Most people only travel 50 to 90 kms a day and the range of these batteries are always improving (300 km has been suggested) plus there is no need to DRIVE to a service station as they can charge at home or work.

I’m not saying they’re perfect, my point is where are the alternatives that are being promised. Hydrogen is on a road to nowhere.

PS my car runs on LPG.

Oh and penguins don’t live at the North Pole. :-)

And at the very least all new cars should have start/stop technology so that when people are stopped at traffic lights or stuck in heavy traffic for more than a couple of seconds the engine shuts down automatically regardless of wheather they are a hybrid or not!!!!

Where are the Hydrogen cars? It is too expensive and there is no infrastructure.

A full electric car is inevitable, we should have had it a decade ago but it was literally squashed by big industry.