US Government urged to promote diesel cars, NOT electric & hybrid

Diesel cars best option says former US Transport Secretary

Former American Transport Secretary Norman Mineta is urging the US Government to promote high efficiency diesels instead of electric and hybrid cars.

Just like the UK government, the US government seems obsessed with promoting electric and hybrid cars as the way of the future, something anyone who really knows cars will tell you is a nonsensical approach. Hybrid and electric cars are too costly to produce and have little appeal for the car buying public.

Instead of using tax breaks and taxpayer subsidies to try and coerce car buyers in to electric and hybrid cars, governments should be promoting high-efficiency diesels as the best short to medium term solution to our desire to cut oil dependency and running costs.

Which is exactly what former US Transport Secretary Norman Mineta is urging the US government to do in a new report. Mineta says:

High efficiency ICE vehicles could achieve a remarkably higher effect on the environment than other competing technologies. The average additional cost for a high efficiency ICE is about $2,000, against $8,000 for an electric vehicle. Diesels continue to demonstrate the ability to meet consumer needs without being cost prohibitive.

And he’s absolutely right. Not only that, but he goes on to say that not only can diesel cars (and trucks) offer fuel savings as impressive as a hybrid, but that with a big lump of torque on offer they are also fun to drive. He reckons fuel savings in a diesel are in the region of 30 per cent compared to petrol without any loss of ‘fun’.

A politician making sense on cars. Whatever next?

Source: Jalopnik

By Cars UK