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Should Petrol Cars be Banned?
Should petrol cars be banned?
The UK’s Liberal Democrats have recently proposed that petrol and diesel cars be banned from the country’s roads by 2040. The idea that any nation could be using vehicles fuelled by alternative fuels by 2040 seems like a very remote possibility and Australia is no exception. As of 2011, there were almost 12.5 million passenger cars, with New South Wales and Victoria making up around two thirds of that figure. The environmental necessity of replacing these vehicles has seen many potential solutions offered, from the sensible (better public transport) to the weird (dolphin-shaped cars) so we asked ourselves the following questions: what are the possible alternatives to petrol and diesel cars; and will they be any better for the environment?
Electric Cars
The electric car has some way to go if it is ever to usurp the petrol car. But Evans Electric in Australia has come close to perfecting the electric car. The problem with the idea of running on electric cars is that recharging batteries the raft of batteries will be so much more time-consuming than just filling up at the pump. Evans Electric has designed more energy efficient in-wheel engines which bypasses the need for gears and transmission and deploys energy into each wheel as required. They also generate a nifty 800-horsepower and 1250nm of torque.
Ammonia Engines
New Scientist recently published an article discussing whether ammonia is the future of clean fuel? When burned it produces nothing but water and nitrogen, the most prevalent gas in the atmosphere. However, production of ammonia itself is highly energy-intensive to produce and involves burning a fossil fuel to produce the hydrogen necessary to react with nitrogen. It accounts for the somewhere between 2 and 3 per cent of the world’s energy budget. Ammonia has been used as a fuel during World War II and as one component fuel of the X-15 supersonic aircraft, however it is much less powerful than petrol or diesel and would not work in standard, Otto cycle engines on the market.
More hybrids
This is a much more realistic vision of the future. As if to quash the dreams of the Liberal Democrat party, Exxon Mobil, the world’s richest company, has predicted that by 2040 half of all new cars will be hybrids. The batteries for hybrids, much like for full-on electric cars, add a significant amount of weight to the cars. This is where the experts come in: nine European manufacturers are developing energy-storing body panels which will charge faster than conventional batteries and reduced the weight of car by around 15%. Toyota is also researching body panels that would harness solar energy and store it.
The big question is what will happen to all the current vehicles if petrol is banned in the future. Will governments have to subsidise the retrofitting of electric or ammonia engines to petrol cars? And unless these measures were employed in China and the US it’s doubtful we’d see a dramatic change in the environmental impact of motoring. For now we’ll just have to make do with our petrol cars.
What do those lights mean…?
Do you know what those dashboard warning lights mean?
There are currently more than 15.5 million drivers on Australia’s roads. While a growing population expects to see an increase in motorists, it doesn’t necessarily expect to see an increase in traffic accidents. But that’s what has happened. Research shows that by June 2013 19.6% of motorists had been involved in at least one accident, a figure up from 18.7% in 2008.
Another recent survey conducted in the UK has found that 98 per cent of motorists don’t know what all the dashboard warning lights mean. With most of the accidents coming from new and old drivers, we ask whether being unfamiliar with or forgetting the signals your car gives you can lead to more accidents.
It shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise that people don’t pay much attention to their dashboard. After all, when was the last time you picked up your car’s manual? And, if memory serves, it’s not as though driving instructors are required to take learner drivers through the meaning of dashboard indicators. Most of us simply pay attention to the fuel level indicator and, it seems, rarely wonder what the other symbols represent, assuming that it’ll be self-evident.
The problem has been compounded by a lack of consistency among car manufacturers, with only 12 dashboard warning symbols being the same across 15 of the most popular, recent models. The Mercedes E Class has the most warning/information lights, with 41, and the least was the Volvo S40’s 21. Many of these correspond to newer functions from air-conditioning options to sat-navs.
In another survey conducted by the British Car Auctions (BCA) it turned out that over 20 per cent of drivers had ignored warning lights and decided to address the problem later in the journey. Five per cent admitted to hoping it would eventually switch off of its own accord and six per cent of motorists had gone more than a month without checking a warning light.
Clearly, for the well-being of your vehicle and your safety on the road it’s a good idea to know the most common symbols. Check that you’re aware of the following problems and their corresponding symbols and you’ll be a good deal safer on the road:
Brake System – This is usually indicated by an exclamation mark within a circle. It will automatically illuminate when the handbrake is engaged but should disappear when it is released. If not, it could indicate low brake fluid level or something more serious. Any issues with the braking system should be checked out immediately.
Battery – This is usually indicated by a square with a positive and minus signs. If the light illuminates, it means your car will not be able to travel much further as the battery is no longer being charged. The reasons for this are usually a broken alternator belt, a failed alternator or a faulty battery terminal.
Tyre Pressure – Very few people can recognize this symbol: it resembles a bulging tyre with tread at the bottom. Lit-up, it indicates low pressure which can be dangerous, especially when travelling at high speeds. You should stop at the nearest services to put air in your tyres.
Coolant temperature – Indicated by a symbol that resembles a thermometer sitting in a liquid. If you see this warning light illuminate, your engine could be in danger of overheating. This is a problem that requires stopping straight way as overheating an engine can cause irreparable damage.
Tips For Long-Distance Driving
Australia has well over half a million kilometres of road, so we’re lucky enough to be able to answer the call of the road and just head out to drive and drive and drive. It’s a road trip paradise, where you can drive through 35 degrees of longitude (or three time zones) without any hassles with passports and visas and all the rest of the palaver involved with driving long distances in places like Europe, where 35 degrees of longitude will take you through a minimum of five countries (the route that covers this many lines on the map crossing the least borders will take you through France, Germany, Poland, Belarus or Ukraine and Russia).
Some people go on long road trips for fun – for them, the trip there is part of the holiday or even the holiday itself. For others, it’s more of a necessity, as their job requires it, or the family is so big that it’s cheaper to shove everyone in the Honda Odyssey and drive from A to B rather than flying. But no matter what your situation is, it pays to be prepared and possibly even to change your driving style.
- If possible, don’t drive alone. Have someone with you who will be able to share the driving or, at the very least, help relieve the monotony of the more boring bits of scenery by talking to you, or scream loudly if you look like you’re falling asleep at the wheel.
- Stay hydrated. No matter how good your air-con system is, you are going to need fluids. It’s a mistake to limit your fluid intake while driving long distance so you don’t have to stop to pee all the time. If you’re dehydrated, you may end up making dumb decisions. OK, don’t guzzle vast quantities but don’t underdo it.
- Plan to stop for a break here and there rather than doing it all in one long bash. Have a look at the map before you set out and have a think about where would be a good spot for a break. However, your stops along the way don’t have to be at settlements – you can stop in the middle of nowhere and admire the sheer expanse of the world.
- Fatigue is your enemy, especially on a long straight stretch of road. Taking breaks and sharing the driving can help relieve the fatigue, but there are a few other tips that help. Avoid eating carb-heavy meals, as these often make you feel sleepy. Also don’t use some driver aids such as cruise control, as if you’re more active in your driving, you’re less likely to nod off.
- Caffeine is a double-edged sword. It may make you more alert but it will also stimulate your bladder.
- Be prepared for the worst. If you broke down in the middle of nowhere, would you be able to cope? Pack more water and food than you think you are likely to need just in case. A jerry can full of petrol/diesel in the boot wouldn’t go amiss as well, especially if you’re doing the Nullabor.
- Choose your music wisely. A long-haul drive is not the time for slow, relaxing music, as this may soothe you off to sleep, especially at the end of the day. Go for the faster and more upbeat music, or else keep your mind stimulated with a talking book.
- If you start feeling tense and achy in your neck and shoulders, sleepy, hungry or desperate for the lavatory, stop, even if you haven’t reached your planned stopping point.
- Let someone know your estimated time of arrival (approximate) and the route you’re taking so if something goes badly wrong, they’ll know when and where to start looking.
- Try not to drive long distances at night, especially if you’ve been driving most of the day. The road is even more hypnotic at night, with the constant, regular flash of the centre line and the cats-eyes and little else to look at… a sure-fire recipe for getting into a trance state.
- Better late than never. You are not in a race, so don’t try to beat the “official” time suggested by the AAA (e.g. 1 day and 16 hours non-stop for Sydney to Perth).
The Logic of Logbooks
There’s been a lot of furore about the changes to the Fringe Benefit Tax rules – what’s it going to do to the car sales industry, what it’s going to mean for companies who want to retain their employees, what it’s going to mean for the economy in general and so forth. My fellow-blogger Dave has posted quite a few very informative articles on the topic ().
However, let’s have a wee think about the small implications. Not the big ones that discuss whether or not the changes in the rules will affect what’s left of the Australian car manufacturing industry but the ones that affect what you and I will have to do if our company is going to provide us with a novated lease under the new system.
One of the key changes is that when it comes to tax time, you can’t just say that 20% of the kilometres driven were personal and the rest were for business. We’ve all got to use log books. A lot of people were already on the logbook method for cars dished out as part of a salary package. If you’re one of these people, you’re probably not going to notice a lot of difference, if any.
The idea behind the logbooks is that some people – OK, make that a lot of people – were using their cars for way more than 20% of the kilometres driven for personal business. This meant that they were paying less fringe benefit tax than they really ought to. The whole idea behind t
he changes was meant to close this loophole so people who weren’t on the logbook system paid a fair amount of tax.
The good news is that keeping a logbook isn’t all that hard. All you have to do is to write in the date of the trip, the purpose of the trip (which you can shorten down to “business” and “personal” rather than trying to fit in “taking Amy to Sarah’s birthday party and picking up a roll of wallpaper from the hardware store on the way back”) and the odometer reading at the end of the trip. Then you have to work out how many clicks the trip took by subtracting the odometer reading at the end of the last trip from the end of the current trip – which requires a good head for mental arithmetic or a handy cellphone with a calculator app. Most of us, however, can rely on the trip computer that most modern cars come with. This sounds fiddly, but it’s not that hard once you’re into the swing of things.
Naturally, people have already come up with smartphone apps for vehicle logbooks. Sole traders and the self-employed already have to keep logbooks, for example, so there’s been plenty of time to develop them. I guess it’s only a matter of time until someone comes up with an app that logs your trips and sends the info directly to the office bean-counters… or Big Brother.
The big thing to know is the difference between what’s considered a work trip and what is considered a personal trip. The real stinger here is that the commute to and from work is not considered to be a work or business trip – it’s a personal trip. If you took the bus to work instead of chugging along in your little Peugeot 206 hatchback or whatever you drive, you’d have to fork out for the bus fare and your employers wouldn’t have to pay your bus fare (in most cases, and we won’t go into the subsidies that some eco-minded businesses have tried here). However, if you have to visit a client, make a delivery, pick up some supplies for the office or something like that, that’s a business trip.
Logbooks aren’t all that hard, so don’t get into a panic if you have to keep one. You can still get a car as part of a salary package deal, and you can still claim some of the mileage back against tax.
Level 2, 9 Help Street