Tesla launches betteries for homes, businesses, and utilities

[dj92]

The plan is indeed to get old vehicles off the road.
However, if you have a car that is at least 30 years old in a nearby original and overall good condition (as mine is), you can get some kind of certificate and drive it daily with paying a fixed rate, about 200$/year.
Some small engine cars (2CV, Fiat 500, Fiat 126) are cheaper when paying the regular tax, but their lack of a cat keeps them out of lots of cities.
There are three colours of badges you get to stick behind the windshield, depending on the emissions: red for catless petrol engines and older diesels, yellow for most common rail diesels, green for almost all petrol engines with a cat and all diesel engines with a particle filter.
The certificate counts as a green badge, the best.

The diesel engines with filters are indeed quite clean, the first we got around 2007 still had an exhaust that clean that you'd only have road dust on a cloth wiped through it when we sold it 7 years later.

However, some particles which are way finer still pass the filters, they are said to be dangerous for health - I can not estimate how far this is true.
Another fact is that the direct injection petrol engines emit a very high count of particles, about as much as an older diesel - without having to have a filter.

I would consider adding a turbo to the 30yr old lady, but as far as I know, the standard OM601 does not sport enough piston cooling for that.
So, my dream is finding a 2.5 turbo engine (fitting a series engine would still allow me to get the certificate), but this is nothing of a big priority.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by bronsin

CA wont like diesels because of their pollution. And in any case, the long term trend in gas vs diesel prices is diesel is more expensive. Like hybrids, diesels don't make sense economically. Bottom line diesels cost more to own, same as hybrids.

. In addition, well taken care of gasoline engines are now closer to the lifespan of diesels, mileage wise...so that advantage is nolt what it once was.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by dj92

Some small engine cars (2CV, Fiat 500, Fiat 126) are cheaper when paying the regular tax, but their lack of a cat keeps them out of lots of cities.
There are three colours of badges you get to stick behind the windshield, depending on the emissions: red for catless petrol engines and older diesels, yellow for most common rail diesels, green for almost all petrol engines with a cat and all diesel engines with a particle filter.
The certificate counts as a green badge, the best.

Does a driver have to know in advance via 'research' the restricted cities/areas, or are there signs posted to notify motorists? (I've driven in 8 countries in Europe (including off the continent), but not Germany...only trains, planes, subways, etc. there)

[dj92]

There are signs, often some km ahead, but due to emission laws, all cars since ~2009 get a green one, and some cities don't check for the badges as it costs money.
E.g. Darmstadt does not have any restrictions at all because the budget does not allow to post these signs

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by dj92

There are signs, often some km ahead, but due to emission laws, all cars since ~2009 get a green one, and some cities don't check for the badges as it costs money.
E.g. Darmstadt does not have any restrictions at all because the budget does not allow to post these signs

Very interesting.

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

. In addition, well taken care of gasoline engines are now closer to the lifespan of diesels, mileage wise...so that advantage is nolt what it once was.

Yes as your experience and that of others proves! I think there are two reasons for this. One FI has eliminated the rich running at idle of engines and allowed for the uniform carburation of them at all speeds. Quite a bit of wear takes place in a carbureted engine at idle. Also, the elimination of lead in fuel makes oil change intervals longer and increases spark plug life almost indefinitely.

Change the oil and air filters in modern gas engines, especially Honda and Toyota gas engines, and they will easily outlast the life of the rest of the car.

Given the particulate pollution and NOx from diesels I see no reason to own them, for the consumer.

[hachi-roku_fan]

I wish I could give the LADWP the good boot but I feel they wouldn't like me selling them electricity at their rates. Hell, they lagged on installing solar panels on houses, so I can't imagine how pissed they'd be if I got this along with solar panels to store any energy I don't need/use and make while I'm at work.

Toyotas reasoning about electric cars not working is because they feel the infrastructure to support everyone driving electric cars isn't up to par. We'd overload the grid basically.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by hachi-roku_fan

I wish I could give the LADWP the good boot but I feel they wouldn't like me selling them electricity at their rates. Hell, they lagged on installing solar panels on houses, so I can't imagine how pissed they'd be if I got this along with solar panels to store any energy I don't need/use and make while I'm at work.

Better than SoCal Edison though. A few years ago SoCal Edison had a rate increase, and they actually had the b***s to admit that the ONLY reason for the rate increase was for pension funding! If I still lived within their coverage area, I would have been so ticked I would have been tempted to move just barely out of their reach. I'm too much of a fiscal conservative to be happy as a resident of '2010 and beyond' California (I picked 2010 re 3rd term for Moonbeam ...yeah, I know some people think he's being fiscally conservative...but some of it as smoke and mirrors {things no longer officially 'counted'...but funding not cut)}. It is a good thing that I am no longer a resident.

Toyotas reasoning about electric cars not working is because they feel the infrastructure to support everyone driving electric cars isn't up to par. We'd overload the grid basically.

Within the last day or two, I read a newspaper article about the new Hyundai Tucson for the U.S. It will be electric, and also hydrogen fuel cell. You will have to lease it (no purchases allowed), and the fuel and maintenance will be included. IIRC, it will have a range of 265 miles.