Jihad on Diesel

[Alias]

AFAIK UK has the most expensive diesel in Europe and that isn't really very good for transporters or industry. Here in Euroland diesel is cheaper than petrol, but the cars are more expensive and the road tax is higher; after about 15k kilometers diesel saves money.

Crazy idea; why not encourage LPG instead seeing as that's pretty clean?

I'd go along with that, in the interim tho, I'd like to see more hybrid diesel cars, clean for city driving whilst retaining a bit of power for motorways...

[Mich the Tester]

So if diesel is really so bad, why are they not increasing the tax on diesel and cutting the tax on petrol at the pumps nationwide? Diesels are generally significantly more efficient; the only way to get people back to cleaner greener petrol is to make it cheaper overall.

AFAIK UK has the most expensive diesel in Europe and that isn't really very good for transporters or industry. Here in Euroland diesel is cheaper than petrol, but the cars are more expensive and the road tax is higher; after about 15k kilometers diesel saves money.

Crazy idea; why not encourage LPG instead seeing as that's pretty clean?

[VectraMan]

BBC News - Diesel cars 'face £10 charge for driving into central London'

Plans to charge drivers of diesel cars £10 to drive into central London are being considered, it has been reported.

Don't they already pay £10?

The levy would be on top of the current £10 congestion charge for driving into the centre of the capital.

Ah.

The Times also says London Mayor Boris Johnson wants the new Ultra Low Emission Zone to be introduced by 2020.
The paper says the mayor will lobby the government to increase road tax on diesel cars to encourage motorists to move to cleaner vehicles.
Only diesel vehicles meeting the Euro 6 emissions standard will be exempt, while petrol cars registered before 2006 will also have to pay.

So actually the story is most diesels and quite a lot of petrol cars to pay more, basically an increase in the congestion charge for the majority. Pretty crap reporting from the BBC, but that's a different issue.

This is a perfect example of how the obsession with climate change has set back more genuine environmental issues.

RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "This isn't quite a mis-selling scandal, but for years ministers took their eye off the ball and encouraged drivers to buy diesels to help fight climate change.

That has come at a cost: local air pollution. Today 10 million cars in Britain are powered by diesel engines - a third of the total.

Government figures showed long-term exposure to air pollution contributed to more than 28,000 deaths across the UK in 2010.

And in February, it was reported that pollution near Buckingham Palace is the worst in the UK and almost four times the EU legal limit.

Well as long as there's less CO2, that's okay then.

So if diesel is really so bad, why are they not increasing the tax on diesel and cutting the tax on petrol at the pumps nationwide? Diesels are generally significantly more efficient; the only way to get people back to cleaner greener petrol is to make it cheaper overall.