In his opening remarks, the prime minister drew attention to the decline in passenger car sales in Russia. However, from the information materials prepared for the meeting, it followed that at the end of 2012, passenger car sales increased by approximately 11%. And in January-February it grew by 2.7%.
On the other hand, the head of AvtoVAZ, Igor Komarov, admitted that sales of older models are indeed falling. And in general, in March of this year, car sales decreased by 4% compared to March last year. However, many experts believe this is mainly a consequence of seasonal factors.
Manufacturers received criticism from the prime minister for not producing enough natural gas vehicles, which the prime minister considers the most promising form of transport. “There are global trends, and we cannot ignore them,” LADY is dissatisfied. He noted that such a transition reduces fuel costs by half compared to diesel cars.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Russian Machines OJSC Siegfried Wolf clarified that the costs for cars with a diesel engine are 6.2 rubles per kilometer, while for cars with CNG - 4.7 rubles per kilometer.
In this regard, manufacturers called for switching the country to gas. The main argument, however, was environmental protection considerations.
Wolf proposed eliminating the transport tax for gas-powered cars, as well as subsidizing the construction of gas filling stations from the budget. In addition, he took the initiative to subsidize from the federal budget a program for replacing buses over 15 years old with equipment running on natural gas.
General Director of KAMAZ OJSC Sergei Kogogin advised limiting the use of traditional fuel for public transport and trucks in cities with a population of over a million. “For cities with a population of one million, it is most likely necessary to take restrictive measures in general on the use of passenger and public transport that is not equipped with gas fuel. This is also a world practice,” Kogogin said, adding that in Delhi, for example, there are no buses running on diesel fuel, since this is prohibited.
According to him, if 500 thousand trucks, 450 thousand buses, 10 million cars and 50% of agricultural machinery are switched to gas in Russia, domestic gas consumption will increase by 70 billion cubic meters.
Our country is huge, transport costs will always be higher than in Europe. The transition to gas engine fuel can change the situation, and in this sense, we have the right and must use this transition as our natural competitive advantage, taking into account our gas capabilities,” Medvedev supported.
The Prime Minister liked the idea of limiting the use of diesel vehicles in public utilities and public transport. “I think the issue of restricting appropriate vehicles and operation can be explored because it is a safety issue. Citizens’ vehicles are sacred, let them drive as they drive for now, but as for these vehicles, this is a public issue,” D. Medvedev said.
The Prime Minister also instructed the relevant departments to conduct an inspection in the field of commercial transport for unfair competition and the import of foreign equipment that does not comply with current technical regulations. The order arose in response to a complaint from the general director of KAMAZ OJSC. Sergei Kogogin reported that a number of companies are trying to import into the Russian Federation, bypassing the law, trucks that do not meet accepted environmental standards.
Nizhny Novgorod.
Ban on diesel cars in Germany: why is it being introduced? Will diesel cars be banned from entering Europe? The German authorities have indeed been discussing such a bill for several years, however, according to Chancellor Angela Merkel, the introduction of complete restrictions is still a long way off. However, the process is already underway.
Thus, from September 2018, the movement of diesel vehicles that do not comply with EURO 5 (that is, mainly up to 2004-2005 model year) will be limited within the municipal borders of Stuttgart and Düsseldorf. That is, the law has been adopted, but the final decision will be made by local authorities. And first of all, the taboo will affect trucks, trucks, and commercial equipment.
International carriers from Russia will have to think about purchasing trucks of a class no lower than Euro-5 (or even better, Euro-6) if they want to fly to Europe through the center of Germany.
Why was this ban introduced?
There is an opinion that the ban on diesel cars in Germany is a conspiracy of the oligarchy. They say that it is more profitable for automakers when they get rid of old cars and buy new ones. However, in reality, the authorities really care more about the environment, which is suffering more and more in large cities. After all, today everyone has a car, and the level of emissions leads to a decrease in public health, the birth rate, and so on. In Germany, the authorities are now thinking very carefully about the demographic situation and legacy, and this finds great support among voters.
Tightening environmental standards in German cities is not just about cars. The elimination of plastic bags has long been introduced; in Berlin it works at 60%, and in Brussels at 100%. Moreover, the remaining bags and containers in the form of plastic bottles are produced using Pely Bio technology, and decompose under the influence of heat and sun in garbage heaps.
Judging by the latest news, the likely complete abandonment of diesel in Germany will occur approximately by 2030. It will be followed by a partial ban on all cars with internal combustion engines; gasoline engines will only be allowed with a hybrid installation. Today, all major manufacturers are gradually refocusing on electric vehicles.
A number of German manufacturers Porsche, Volkswagen, and Mercedes intend to abandon the production of diesel cars in the future, realizing that the introduction of a complete ban will follow sooner or later.
However, there is another option - the emergence of technology for deeper cleaning of diesel exhaust from dangerous microparticles.
Why is diesel more harmful than gasoline?
Indeed, why is diesel more harmful than gasoline, since the efficiency of these engines is higher, they are more economical, and they emit much less CO? The whole problem is the release of more soot and such powerful poisons as nitric oxide.
Soot enters the body like asbestos particles (that’s why slate was banned!), and is practically not removed from the lungs. Soot contains a whole bunch of carcinogens that cause cancer. That is why drivers of heavy trucks, mechanics at service stations, and owners of houses near major highways often become clients of cancer wards.
Nitrogen oxide, which is also formed during the combustion of diesel fuel, is generally a strong poison. It enters the blood, binds to hemoglobin, and affects the cardiovascular and nervous systems. It is extremely difficult to reduce the NOx content during fuel combustion - currently this is done with the help of urea (which is poured into separate tanks of trucks), but science cannot yet achieve lower values (or this will increase the cost of vehicles and transportation to unprofitable levels).
In the Euro-6 standard, the requirements for NOx were increased almost 2 times compared to Euro-5 - now the car should emit no more than 0.08 grams per 1 kilometer. But it is still extremely difficult to reach the gasoline level (0.06 g/km).
Older diesel cars have nitrogen oxide levels that are 2-4 times higher than their gasoline counterparts of the same age!
Plus, diesel, like tobacco, contains a lot of foreign poisons and impurities; the fuel is oilier and thicker, and, accordingly, much more harmful than gasoline.
The ban on diesel cars in Germany causes heated debate in Europe itself, because most of the cars there run on diesel fuel, but in general, society is gradually preparing for this.
Local governments, according to the court's decision, no longer have to be guided by federal laws when issuing bans on diesel cars. However, this must happen gradually: first, all vehicles with environmental standards below the European Euro 4 standard must be driven off the streets.
Meanwhile, the association of German cities and the Automobile Manufacturers' Union were skeptical of the court's decision. The German stock exchange reacted sharply negatively: the rates of many automakers immediately went down. Shareholders assume that sales of diesel vehicles will decline in the near future, while businesses will have to allocate additional funds to retrofit vehicles that have already been sold.
Angela Merkel welcomed the court verdict. The chancellor said, however, that she expected the decision to have "limited consequences for citizens." This, according to her, “is not about the entire territory of the country and not about all car owners.” In Germany there are now about 10 million vehicles with diesel engines below the Euro 6 emissions standard. Air pollution with nitrogen dioxide and fine dust is caused by 60-70 percent of these vehicles. The maximum permissible concentration of these harmful emissions has been exceeded in more than 60 cities in Germany.
Angela Merkel emphasized that the verdict “concerns individual cities in which measures still need to be taken.” The Chancellor promised that the German government would seek dialogue with representatives of the federal states and local administrations in order to “probe the possibility of legal action.”
At the same time, the German government is seeking to avoid the negative impact of the decision of the Federal Administrative Court on the automotive industry, which plays an important role in the country's economy. German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks said the executive's goal remains to "clean up the atmosphere of populated areas in a different way, without introducing bans on diesel cars." She emphasized that she sees the main responsibility of automakers to “re-equip passenger cars.” German Transport Minister Christian Schmidt emphasized that “the list of measures proposed to clean the air should make it possible to avoid a ban on cars.” The politician pointed out that billions of euros have already been allocated to support local administrations in implementing these measures.
There are still many questions regarding how the ban will be implemented and who will control it. The Union of the 90s/Greens party and environmentalists are demanding that the German government introduce “blue stickers” for clean cars. Critics of this proposal believe that only selective controls of vehicles within populated areas are sufficient - establishing the engine type of cars included in the register based on the license plate. However, this will also require additional investment. Questions also remain open about how notification of areas with a ban on diesel cars and bypassing of these zones will be carried out.
Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), for example, those involved in garbage collection or supplying goods to local stores, are also opposed to a possible ban on diesel cars. In its decision, the Federal Administrative Court provided exceptions for some SMEs and residents of several cities, as well as the fire brigade, ambulance services and care services for the elderly and sick. For now they will only affect Stuttgart and Dusseldorf.
The persistence with which the most economical internal combustion engine is threatened with ban and oblivion has long alarmed me. I never had much sympathy for diesels, but I thought that justice should be shown in public at least sometimes. So far she is nowhere to be seen...
How it was?
Last year I already wrote about. I don’t want to repeat myself, but the point is this: to squeeze diesel engines into the standards for emissions, smoke and other harmful emissions, billions of investments are needed. But at the same time, the cost of motors will become such that it is easier to “shoot” them. So as not to suffer.
There is another, less expensive solution: let's call it a lie. Development engineers are well aware of the far-fetched nature of the pursuit of standards a la Euro-10, and therefore they are slowly introducing various “baubles” into their products from loud-mouthed populists. Type of subroutines for deceiving stationary measuring stands. This is when at the stand the engine fits somewhere and corresponds to something, but in the wild it turns off all this crap and spins for its own pleasure.
What do the mayors say? Are they happy with the bans or not? Rather, they are satisfied. Here is the opinion of the mayor of Munich, Herr Dieter Reiter: “No matter how happy I would be if such prohibitions were avoided, I do not see how to do without them.”
The ban will affect between 133,000 and 170,000 vehicles. For reference: a total of 720,000 cars are registered in Munich, of which 295,000 have diesel engines.
And Moscow?
Well, we haven’t announced a hunt for diesel engines yet. And it's unlikely to happen. Instead, it seems to me more likely that there will be a ban on the movement of any cars of a class below Euro-4 in certain areas - such conversations have been going on for a long time. And the corresponding signs seem to have already been drawn.
However, on this topic. Of course, there is no need to panic: we are in Russia. And neither new signs nor diesel gates will scare us. By the way, it’s interesting - if diesel engines are banned in Europe, will they come to us? For half price...
Diesel ban in Germany - is it really that scary?
Last year was marked, among other things, by the news that diesel cars were being banned in Germany. And many Ukrainians then thought: if this is so, then our country will now be flooded with cars with the appropriate engines. Is it really?
By and large, this topic was “inflated” by the media and presented with inaccuracies/without clarifications. Yes, diesel cars are indeed banned in Germany, but not as understood by the public.
Firstly, the ban applies only to large cities like Berlin, Stuttgart, Aachen, Bon, etc. So those Germans who do not live in these cities and do not plan to travel to them regularly are unlikely to rush to get rid of their iron horses. Secondly, it concerns only engines below the Euro-4 standard (inclusive), less often Euro-5, and besides, no one prohibits “updating” the engine to the required level. Well, thirdly, the fine for driving a car with a prohibited engine is “only” 20-80 euros and no one will confiscate the car. By the way, gasoline engines of the Euro-3 level and lower were also targeted.
Diesel ban in Germany
Of course, the current situation will affect the market - diesel cars in Germany will fall in price by 3-5%, but no more. That is, you shouldn’t expect a wholesale drop in prices on the secondary market.In principle, we outlined this problem briefly, but if you want to get acquainted with it in detail, watch the corresponding video from Denis Rem, a well-known video blogger who is engaged in car selection in Germany:
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