As 2014 comes to a close, we can look back upon the major changes that we have seen this year and reflect on how they have impacted our lives and how they may impact them in the future. Whether you have an interest in politics, sport, popular culture or fashion, you will be able to pick out moments that have had a lasting impact on your day-to-day life.
One thing that may have slipped under your radar in recent days, however, is the proposed plans in two of Europe’s most populous and prosperous cities to implement a blanket ban on diesel fuel from their roads. That’s right, Paris and London have both started discussions to remove the authority to sell diesel from garages in the cities in an effort to curb pollution. These steps to reducing the carbon emissions in such sprawling metropolises is admirable, but is it fair for diesel to feel the full force of Mayors Anne Hidalgo and Boris Johnson?
Whatever your opinion on diesel, it’s difficult to argue that it hasn’t been far from a divisive fuel for a number of years. While it is widely considered to be more efficient than petrol, it has received substantial criticism for making engines both dirty and noisy – something that has never sat well with the growing support of a greener society.
Efforts to improve the eco-friendliness of diesel cars were commended when they were initially introduced, but it appears feeling has changed considerably over the course of 2014. Particle traps that had been previously fitted by manufacturers have been criticised for not working in the appropriate manner, and nitrogen dioxide emissions are considerably larger than that of petrol cars. For people living in cities who have difficulty breathing, the diesel car may be an unknown cause of discomfort and one whose removal may benefit the lives of many Londoners and Parisians alike.
The European Union, after tightening the rules of air pollution and carbon emissions over the last few years, looks to be changing its stance – where diesel was once touted as a more efficient and less damaging fuel alternative, it now appears the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction. With so many regions across the EU struggling to stay within the new laws, are be about to see a marked change in the law to make a worthwhile change in the long run?
As we head into 2015, it seems we are on the cusp of a five-year plan to clean up the most polluted parts of the country and indeed Europe. Diesel may just about to be the latest fuel to be shunned from our pumps (remember Leaded Four Star?) in efforts to reduce dangers to the atmosphere and the climate.
Fortunately for all of us that may have diesel vehicles, whatever the decisions made in Paris in London over the coming weeks, diesel won’t be completely gone from our garages just yet. One thing that this renewed spotlight on the fuel does highlight, however, is the vastly differing qualities of petrol and diesel. The effects that each has on their engines and indeed their surrounding environments is extremely contrasting; the damage that either one could do when placed in the wrong vehicle could be extremely costly without the right help.
Fortunately, here at Wrong Fuel Expert we are experts in the removal of accidentally inserted fuel to any vehicle. We are available 24 hours a day and have members of our team positioned all over the country, ready to provide you with a quick and easy solution to your wrong fuel issue. For more information on the services we offer here at Wrong Fuel Expert, or to utilise our team in your hour of need, do not hesitate to contact us today.