Most decisions have been taken by successive Governements as knee jerk reactions to whatever the latest research says. Back in the old days, petrol had lead in it but research found that many children with retarded brain development had a higher than normal level of lead in their bodies. Ignoring the fact that most paints also contained lead in those days and kids have a habit of chewing on things, someone advised the Government of the day that it was down to the lead in the atmosphere from vehicle exhausts. So, they told the fuel companies that they had to remove the lead, which they did (in stages from the original level of 4mg per litre to 1.5 mg per litre) but as the lead was there for a reason and not just because they felt like adding it, they had to add a chemical equivalent to lubricate the valves and seats. However, as this chemical was quite a complex compound when it got burnt along with the fuel it produced all sorts of chemical nasties, including some that were known to be carcinogenic. So something had to be done to get rid of them and the something was to add a catalytic converter that converted most of the nasties to nice harmless CO2. Great says everyone, so cars are now exhaling the exact same stuff as humans do which is then turned back into Oxygen by trees.
For a very short period, everyone is happy until another bit of research shows that CO2 is a greenhouse gas and too much of it is contributing to global warming so we need to reduce it. Quick fix, the Government encourages everyone to drive diesels as they produce less CO2 than petrol engines, job done. As this coincided with Peugeot producing the XU-D series of engines, the first really civilised diesel engine, the public started buying them. Encouraged by lower running costs from the economy, the public, along with fleet buyers, flocked to buy them. For a period, everything is rosy in Government land until more research shows that diesels may produce less CO2 but they also spit out particulates which are even worse than the nasties that came from burning the lead substitute additives (remember them, the ones that the cats were introduced to get rid of?). So they need to reduce those. As the emission tests are done to a set cycle which largely simulates driving in a city, simple answer. Fit a filter, the DPF, that collects the particulates when driving in the city and empty it out when the car is driven at speed for any length of time. So don't pollute the city streets but dump the crap out in the countryside instead (a sort of automotive flytipping if you like). Then came dieselgate where it turned out that manufacturers had been fiddlingthe results of the emissions tests making their diesels look far cleaner than they really were and suddenly diesel became the most disgusting fuel known to man..
So now, the answer is electric vehicles, ignoring that the electricity has to be generated somehow (producing yet more pollution) and the pollution created by the manufacture of the batteries, that's someone else's problem. Bring back the lead I say, that's what started this whole thing in the first place......
Peterborough, Cambs
- '93 Range Rover Classic 4.2 LSE, sold
- '97 Range Rover 4.0SE, in Oxford Blue with a sort of grey/blue leather interior sold as two is plenty.....
- '96 4.6HSE Ascot - now sold
- '98 4.0SE in Rioja Red
'98 Ex-Greater Manchester Police motorway patrol car, Range Rover P38 4.0, in Chawton white - the everyday car
All running perfectly on LPG
- Proud to be a member of the YCHJCYA2PDTHFH club.
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