Is there a viable alternative for Diesel?

Diesels have long been a staple diet of vehicle fleets across the UK thanks to their superior fuel economy and the switch to CO2 emission-based BIK and VED tax, however they have recently been coming under scrutiny in the media for emitting harmful emissions such as nitrogen oxide. In this article we sift through the headlines to present the facts around the diesel debate. We will also compare diesel vehicles to alternatively fuelled vehicles, clearly demonstrating that with the current crop of vehicles available to fleets, diesels remain the best operational and cost effective solution. What’s behind the change of attitude towards diesel cars and vans? Diesel vehicles have been attributed to worsening air quality due to the amount of NOx and particulate matter they produce. This has led to major cities around the world proposing bans or additional fees for using diesel vehicles. Motor manufacturers have been working hard to improve their offerings and the current diesel engines (Euro 6 LCV and Euro 4 Car) are amongst the cleanest on the market with the advent of particulate filters and AdBlue. At the same time, and less widely reported, governments have actually recognised they need to reduce the number of older, more-polluting vehicles on the road, with measures like the London T-Charge and Ultra-Low Emission Zone targeting both diesel and petrol vehicles that don’t meet Euro 4 emission standards for Cars and Euro 6 for LCVs. The facts are that the latest diesel vehicles would be unaffected by any scrappage scheme or additional charge and, even if they were, is there a viable alternative to diesel as a workhorse fleet vehicle? Below we compare EVs and PHEVs to Diesel to find out.