Diesel / petrol banned by 2040 what do we do then

245

Comments

  • Grumblewagon
    Grumblewagon Forum Participant Posts: 246
    edited July 2017 #32

    Forget batteries as the primary power source - use hydrogen fuel cells to produce electricity.  The only exhaust product is water vapour.  If the infrastructure was in place, you could fill up just like using LPG, so you wouldn't have the long recharge time.   

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,428 ✭✭✭
    5,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited July 2017 #33

    interesting , any idea of cost?

  • Madmax 2
    Madmax 2 Forum Participant Posts: 62
    edited July 2017 #34

    I'll be dead, so not effected:

  • MiDor
    MiDor Forum Participant Posts: 18
    edited July 2017 #35

    Back in 1963 when I was taking my Engineering Degree one of the lectures told us Ford already had a prototype engine working on Hydrogen.

  • Mitsi Fendt
    Mitsi Fendt Forum Participant Posts: 484
    100 Comments
    edited July 2017 #36

    Not worried or bothered. Be too old by then if I'm still here.

  • obbernockle
    obbernockle Forum Participant Posts: 616
    500 Comments
    edited July 2017 #37

    There were at least 200 Opel cars on beta test with Hydrogen conversions 15 years ago. Linde Gas had plenty of Hydrogen refilling stations established and working around Central Europe.

  • ChemicalJasper
    ChemicalJasper Forum Participant Posts: 437
    edited July 2017 #38

    And how exactly are we producing all of this hydrogen?

    Hydrogen is not particularly safe, it has the widest explosive range of any gas and the lowest ignition energy (as in the static from your cloths), so ANY leak and you are going to get an explosion.

    It is also the smallest molecule, so will find the smallest of leak paths. It is also more difficult to store as the H2 can become 2H's and diffuse into metals. If a second H joins it, it can become H2 again and literally a hydrogen blister can form in the metal.

    Most importantly though, the primary methods of producing hydrogen are:

    Natural Gas Reforming / Gasification (using fossil fuel and producing carbon monoxide / dioxide along with the hydrogen - can also be made from coal, another fossil fuel).

    Electrolysis (uses electricity generated from ....fossil fuels, unless you live in Norway).

    Still some hurdles then!

  • obbernockle
    obbernockle Forum Participant Posts: 616
    500 Comments
    edited July 2017 #39

    Are you sure? 

  • ChemicalJasper
    ChemicalJasper Forum Participant Posts: 437
    edited July 2017 #40

    About what?

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,428 ✭✭✭
    5,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited July 2017 #41

    very interesting post, thanks

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #42

    Something will turn up, it always does. Necessity is the mother of invention!

  • dmiller555
    dmiller555 Forum Participant Posts: 717
    500 Comments
    edited July 2017 #43

    You are assuming that this government will have any time to do anything other than drag us through brexit for the next decade or two. 

  • Boff
    Boff Forum Participant Posts: 1,742
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #44

    Surely you mean lead us to the sunlight uplands of full sovereignty.  Rather than "drag us through Brexit"?

  • Boff
    Boff Forum Participant Posts: 1,742
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #45

    Looking on the bright side the amount of money poured into battery research.  Is surely going to results in more powerful, lighter and cheaper batteries.   Great for off grid and of course the power cuts when demand for electricity exceeds supply when everyone is charging up their cars.  

  • dmiller555
    dmiller555 Forum Participant Posts: 717
    500 Comments
    edited July 2017 #46

    It seems our law court has now forced our government to take action; by "take action" I mean make an announcement of intention to stop the production of diesels after 2040. Looks like the survivors will need bigger batteries for their motor-movers. 

  • Boff
    Boff Forum Participant Posts: 1,742
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #47

    The court found that the Government had acted unlawfully, by not publishing plans on how the legal requirements for air quality are going to be met.  This needs to be published in draft form by the end of this month. Reports are this draft will only address plans for NOx emissions and not much else.  There is no court banning internal combustion engines.

    PS Legislation for air quality is not that new.   The first law was passed in 1306 by Edward l.   I am sure there are some on here who remember how much better in life was in 1305 and it's been down hill all the way since then.  

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #48

    Here's a link to the latest reports from the BBC

    see here

    I wonder what will happen to the petro-chemical industries in general and oil producing countries? Surely big changes ahead although I will be too old or not even around by then.

    edit Oh, I see I might be around when the switch to electric cars starts in the 2020s smile

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #49

    How long has the caravan industry got to rethink and reform?

  • Boff
    Boff Forum Participant Posts: 1,742
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #50

    I was at a customers site, a large multinational and they have just installed electric charging point in their staff car park. The change will be disruptive but it will come.  Just as the car replaced the horse and cart.  

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,830 ✭✭✭
    2,500 Likes 1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #51

    There are 31 million cars in the UK. How many street side charging points is it going to need? One outside every house?  And what about people who live in flats? 

  • Metheven
    Metheven Club Member Posts: 3,987 ✭✭✭
    1,500 Likes 1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #52

    Too many have car ownership, need a crackdown on the population with a household limit (2) and flat dwellers banned outright, along with licence being revoked when reaching the age of 50.

    Sounds like a plan.innocent

    Oh and if you have a M/H and can't judge the grey waste point on site, then on your bike. That'll get rid of a few wink

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #53

    City micro cars like bikes will just be hired and borrowed from service areas?

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #54

    Or.....is walking good for you?wink

  • Metheven
    Metheven Club Member Posts: 3,987 ✭✭✭
    1,500 Likes 1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #55

    Simple maths tells me the answer would be 31 million, and where do people who live in flats park their cars now? probably a suitable place to put the charging point

  • Boff
    Boff Forum Participant Posts: 1,742
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #56

    How many charging points? Answer lots.  But you would get similar objections  in 1900 if it was suggested that every house in the country would be connected to an electricity supply.   It will come because the alternatives are worse. 

    However it will take leadership at a national level and let's face it.  The last few national administrations have been to leadership, what British caravan industry has been to quality control.  All talk. 

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,830 ✭✭✭
    2,500 Likes 1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #57

    Last month the government said they couldn't afford to electrify the railway down here to to the south west, but they were going to get some new diesel trains for us. And today they say we have got to get rid of our diesel cars... 

  • Briang
    Briang Club Member Posts: 670 ✭✭✭
    500 Comments
    edited July 2017 #58

    How many lorries are there on the roads.? How will we move livestock farming equipment etc.? White van man for your orders off the internet etc,? plus all the older vehicles just look at the cost of the hybrid cars not cheap, Taxi's on the road 24 hours a day wheres the charging points around every corner. Will you be able to tow your caravan to the France or Spain and how long will it take you.? I can't see this happening.

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
    2,500 Likes 1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #59

    On the funny side (my sense of humor) how are the police going to do high speed chases down the motorway. Can you just see them running out of power before they get their man laughinglaughinglaughing

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #60

    Yes Boff, I was only reading the other day the collaboration between American and Chinese scientists and technologists to develop the sodium battery. Apparently there are a few hurdles but it's looking very promising whatever that means- No shortage of power there- sodium = salt = if they can crack it, it should be plentiful.

  • GTP
    GTP Club Member Posts: 537
    500 Comments 100 Likes Name Dropper
    edited July 2017 #61

    In terms of technology , 2040 will have brought in massive leaps in every aspect of our daily life.....our leaders may have even eradicated poverty.(wouldn't that be something !!). I would suggest that even the modern electric car will have been replaced with the up coming Hydrogen cell powered car by 2025...or perhaps even Nuclear cell power. I was at a shopping complex near to Saint Hilaire-de-Riez a couple of weeks ago where in one of the malls a company was showing both their new electric and hydrogen engines....the latter, I was assured, would comfortably tow a 1600kg caravan for 250/300 miles before a refill...Plus both engines conform to the Green Crit-Air badge certificate