Combustion engine to be outlawed!

Reuters news about carmakers

"minds focused by government pledges to outlaw the combustion engine"

"push by some lawmakers to ban diesel and eventually all engines"

This was a disturbing article, and not because of the end of the combustible engine, it would be the government decreeing the combustible engines to be unlawful.

I'm for free market solutions. Let the manufacturers take the risky decision to produce alternatively powered vehicles and allow the different platforms of power application to fight it out in the market place. If electric is so good, it will win without the benefit of government assistance. People will naturally gravitate to the better solution. If electric is so good, people will keep up appearances so that their neighbors won't shame them into the house never to be seen again. Then again we will need to get back to being allowed to offend people without being labeled with some less than good tag.

As these governments continue to ban the ICE vehicles, they will eventually shut down the hand that is feeding them (parts suppliers, taxes on fuel, large construction vehicles and earth moving equipment, etc, etc.). Plus, when the subsidy monies run out, and they will, the consumers won't be able to buy the electric vehicles (well, the rich will).

I suppose the airplane will be banned too? And the military vehicles. And maybe homes that heat with fuel oil or natural gas? Where will it stop???

Then we will be going back to horses and carriages, or black market ICE vehicles.

Slurry Pumper said:

This was a disturbing article, and not because of the end of the combustible engine, it would be the government decreeing the combustible engines to be unlawful.

I'm for free market solutions. Let the manufacturers take the risky decision to produce alternatively powered vehicles and allow the different platforms of power application to fight it out in the market place. If electric is so good, it will win without the benefit of government assistance. People will naturally gravitate to the better solution. If electric is so good, people will keep up appearances so that their neighbors won't shame them into the house never to be seen again. Then again we will need to get back to being allowed to offend people without being labeled with some less than good tag.

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^^Exactly! I'm with you!

I'm also concerned about the loss of the famous coast-to-coast cross-country trip across America! I'm planning a repeat performance in the not too distant future. And I might add Alaska to the trip!

The good news, I suspect it won't happen in my lifetime.

The downfall of the electric car will be the flood of Chinese aftermarket parts worldwide since they will not be selling ICE aftermarket parts. Once all the nations are brought to their knees, then the Chinese will resume their quest on taking over the world and building millions of rickshaws.

I wouldn't worry about combustion engines going away entirely anytime soon. I do think it would be a terrible shame if we were to hand the Chinese, Europeans, etc. the future automotive EV market on a silver platter. Hopefully that doesn't happen.

turbobrick240 said:

I wouldn't worry about combustion engines going away entirely anytime soon. I do think it would be a terrible shame if we were to hand the Chinese, Europeans, etc. the future automotive EV market on a silver platter. Hopefully that doesn't happen.

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One thing to remember is that the vast majority of the driving world is paying much higher prices for gasoline and diesel. They have more incentive to move toward EV's.

aja8888 said:

One thing to remember is that the vast majority of the driving world is paying much higher prices for gasoline and diesel. They have more incentive to move toward EV's.

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Plus electricity is largely produced by coal and other not so clean technologies that are on par with what we had in the 1960s, so electricity for them is pretty cheap relatively speaking.

They can jabber all they want about outlawing all sorts of things, but until the public actually WANTS it, it won't happen. Americans mostly refuse to buy small efficient cars with existing technology. What makes anyone think we want something beyond that? I know some of us do, but we are sadly a minority. I hear 2018 will be the last year the little Mitsubishi Mirage will be sold here... joining yet another small efficient car that will leave our showrooms. But a new Ford Bronco is coming!

The horse and buggy was not replaced with the automobile because of legislation. It is unwise to try and legislate everything away because then more and more people will push back, and it becomes a tinderbox for conflict. I just wish more people would make better choices so the thought of banning something would not even come up.

Thank you guys for the comments, I truly feel better to know this that our passion for ICE vehicles wont go away anytime soon.

calimustang said:

Thank you guys for the comments, I truly feel better to know this that our passion for ICE vehicles wont go away anytime soon.

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But then when the main form of transportation was the horse and those infernal combustion engines first appeared, the horsey set never thought they would be successful.

In my few years on this planet I have learned that change is constant. What was the way to do something becomes relegated to the dust bin of history.

I like my Sportwagen as much as the next guy, but watching a Tesla absolutely punish Dodge's fastest car, which was no contest, makes me think that the future will still cater to car guys.

I will NOT bow to the piece of crap electric car that don't make ICE noises plus they emit a lot more pollution than our TDI from factory to the death of those econo crap boxes due to the batteries they have......... (That's how much I loathe them)

calimustang said:

I will NOT bow to the piece of crap electric car that don't make ICE noises plus they emit a lot more pollution than our TDI from factory to the death of those econo crap boxes due to the batteries they have......... (That's how much I loathe them)

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I'm with you there! Sure, the EV pollutes less on it's own, but few consider the pollution created to make the components of them, and to continue to power them. Not to mention, how often does your rechargeable device need a new battery because the old one won't hold a charge? So what will that cost in terms of dollars and pollution created to make replacement batteries?

IMO - I think more $$ should be spent on developing diesel engines to burn cleaner, without adding more "exhaust scrubbing" devices. Since it takes less refining to make, produces as much, if not more power, is more efficient, and the engines are made better; it just makes sense. But somehow we collectively turn our noses away??

Perhaps someone knows the answer, but if you took a 2.0 tdi Jetta and compared it to a 2.0T Jetta in terms of emissions pollution per mile, how do they compare? I'll bet I know what the test would favor.

Govt are the ones pushing this EV program. Giving a rich person 20+thousand to buy a Tesla and 7 or 8 thousand to buy a hybrid is whacko. Lets see them stand on their own.

Our gov't has bailed out conventional automakers before. And the fossil fuel industry is heavily subsidized by taxpayers. You may not like the writing on the wall, but that won't stop the progression toward cheaper, cleaner renewable energy sources. We can either have an active role in future technologies, or get surpassed by the rest of the world. I think we'll take an active role.