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Ast month’s article touched briefly on vehicle emissions – a murky subject at the best of times but one that I, for the moment, find morbidly interesting. According to Daniel Sperling and Deborah Gordon, two-vehicle population researchers in the USA, the

INCREASING FUEL EFFICIENCY and ongoing reductions in emissions are expensive and somewhat complicated. I am amazed at how far vehicle companies have come in recent years at reducing these. I would imagine that a very large portion of the motor company engineering team spends a very large portion of time and money on this facet of vehicle design. Vehicle manufacturers are often taxed according to the emission levels of their vehicles and this is especially relevant when these car companies are seeking to expand their footprints in large, lucrative markets. Furthermore, if your vehicle does not comply, you may not be able to sell it in that relevant market.

There is however a very dark side to this story. Recently, several reputable motor companies were found guilty of wilfully cheating on their emissions scorecards in the USA to sell more of their diesel-powered cars and pay less LET ME AT THIS POINT remind you that NOX gases breathed in react with moisture compounds and can penetrate deeply into lung tissue causing permanent damage and even premature death – 60 000 annually according to some sources. It is beyond shocking that reputable car companies would do this. I have crossed them off my favourites list and banished them to eternal contempt. To add insult to injury this scandal was not even unearthed by any of the Euro or NPA watchdogs we trust for our wellbeing. A small university department in West Virginia accidentally unearthed it doing research on real-world emissions performance. As I said earlier, morbidly fascinating.

Next month we’ll be looking at some of the measures car manufacturers use to control emissions, specifically catalytic converters and DPF filtration as well as the moral dilemma around the removal of these devices by vehicle owners.

DATES 8-12 May 2020 COST: R 8 450 per person (half price for children under 10)

THE ADVENTURE For 300 years the Xhosa have been the custodians of this gem in our country. The area is still very rural, traditional, with a very basic road network. It is on these roads that we will explore the rugged coastline, shipwrecks, pristine estuaries and crystal waterfalls.

The whole area lends itself to safe walking, mountain biking and wonderful fishing, so bring your toys along as there is time during the tour for these environmentally friendly and fun activities. We will stay at Mbotyi River Lodge and the Ocean View Hotel while on our adventure.

THE TEAM Your tour leader is an experienced nature conservationist and adventure guide. He will be in radio contact with you at all times and impart a wealth of biological, cultural, historic and four-wheel drive knowledge.

This is not a very “technical” 4x4 trip, but should you experience any difficulty, the Bhejane crew do have the know-how and recovery equipment to assist with off-road problems.

The crew will spare no effort to make you comfortable, and, most importantly, see that you have a good time.