Dave Phillips
T he Voca l Yokel
“The dissing of diesel amounts to an astonishing U-turn by politicians”
Politicians and professional footballers have a lot in common: both are overpaid and overrated. The main difference is that footballers rarely make bad decisions and, when they do, they get dropped. Politicians, on the other hand, make lots of bad decisions – and just carry on making more. Oh yes, and they also score more own goals.
The biggest own goal they have scored in recent times is the demonization of diesel. They have jumped on the diesel-is-badfor-you bandwagon, encouraging all sorts of new laws and bylaws aimed at ending production of diesel cars and even banishing them from our streets. The consequences of these flawed decisions has cost the motor industry in general – and Land Rover in particular – tens of millions of pounds in lost sales, as well as increasing pollution.
The dissing of diesel amounts to an astonishing U-turn by government and local councils. Just a couple of short years ago, diesels were the darlings of those same politicians, because diesel engines were leaner and more efficient than petrol engines and were, therefore, able to help governments meet ever-stricter targets to cut CO2 gases. Diesel cars consume less fuel than petrol equivalents and they emit, on average, 15 to 20 per cent less CO2, which is good for the planet.
Politicians have based their decisions on diesel by applying old, outdated science. Diesel engines of old did emit minute particles that, in large enough quantities, could cause breathing problems. But modern diesels are super-clean, with special filters to trap those harmful particles. And because they emit less CO2, they reduce global warming.
But the dumb deliberations of our elected leaders has caused confusion among car buyers. Unsure of the future of diesel engines, they have bought fewer of them.
As a result, the steep downward trend of greenhouse gases over the last 20 years has suddenly reversed. In 2017, carbon tailpipe emissions were up for the first time in two decades, by 0.8 per cent to 121.0 g/ km.
These shock figures have been confirmed by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) who say that 2017 cars pump out, on average, 12.6 per cent less CO2 than those they replaced. But this was not enough to offset a 17.1 per cent decline in new diesel registrations as confusion over government policy caused buyers to hold back.
The SMMT reveals that about half of last year’s overall CO2 rise was attributable to this decline in diesel demand.
“The anti- diesel agenda has set back progress on climate change,” says Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. “Now, more than ever, we need a strategy that allows manufacturers time to invest, innovate and sell competitively, and which gives consumers every incentive to adapt.” The politicians’ sudden and shameful U-turn on diesel has caused consternation among motor manufacturers, whose longterm strategy is carefully planned years in advance. Unlike opportunist and self-serving politicians, they cannot change direction on a whim aimed at winning votes.
Of course, no manufacturer has suffered more than Jaguar Land Rover, whose vehicles are powered, in the main, by superb modern diesel engines. The company has invested tens of millions of pounds in creating state-of-the-art Ingenium engines in its custom-built factory near Wolverhampton. Its clean diesel technology was the envy of the automotive industry. But now the government- driven anti- diesel propaganda has hit sales badly and JLR has announced that it will be cutting production at its Halewood factory as demand for diesels slumps, changing from a three- to twoshift pattern.
What do motorists think of it all? Not a lot, according to the latest MORI poll, which found that 58 per cent believe there is “a lot of innovation and improvement still to come with petrol and diesel engines”.
I don’t like to say “I told you so” but the poll’s findings back up what I’ve been writing in this column for years. For example, 29 per cent of UK drivers “hope that diesel cars will continue to exist” as electric cars become more common and 36 per cent of drivers stated that if running costs were the same as an electric car they would prefer a petrol or diesel.
In other words, the only reason anybody is bothering to buy electric cars is because there are huge financial incentives to do so. Otherwise nobody would bother.
As for my other pet hate – autonomous cars – that same survey found that only 29 per cent of UK drivers “welcome the advent of self- driving cars”. And it’s not just old fogeys like me who think this way. “There is virtually no evidence of greater support for self- driving cars in younger age groups across Europe,” say the pollsters.
It is good to know that ordinary folk have the common sense to see through the nonsense of politicians. Long live diesel, I say.