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Barnaby Joyce rejects petrol car sales ban amid Coalition debate on electric vehicles

Quote from news article:
Transport Minister Barnaby Joyce has quashed the prospect of Australia replicating overseas bans on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, as the Turnbull government debates whether to encourage the electric vehicle industry.
End quote

Barnaby Joyce rejects petrol car sales ban amid Coalition debate on electric vehicles

It almost seems that if when there is a change of government this situation will change. Would this uncertainty make for difficult long term decisions for buying new cars? It almost seems the safest bet would be to buy a plugin hybrid, so as to not get stuck with a car that will lose too much of it's value dependent on the decision of the government of the day.

Or am I mistaken? What do other people here think?

bauhaus Jan 25, 2018 Read More Replies: 32

Switching to electric cars

Source: Switching to electric cars is key to fixing America's 'critically insufficient' climate policies | Dana Nuccitelli | Environment | The Guardian

Carbon pollution from electricity is already falling fast

But the power sector is already rapidly decarbonizing because coal can’t compete in the marketplace. In some regions, new wind and solar with battery storage have already become cheaper than continuing to operate existing coal plants, and the International Renewable Energy Agency has concluded that by 2020, “all the renewable power generation technologies that are now in commercial use are expected to fall within the fossil fuel-fired cost range.”

American power sector carbon emissions had exceeded those from transportation from 1979 until 2016. But because coal power...

bwilson4web Jan 25, 2018 Read More Replies: 1

Safe or Save

Source: High-Tech Safety Gear Preventing Crashes – But Raising Insurance Rates | TheDetroitBureau.com

. . .
Given the significant benefits already being reported – with more vehicles now being sold with even more advanced technologies, the pay-off would seem to be obvious. “To the extent that vehicles get into fewer crashes that will ultimately be reflected in the rate you pay,” said Russ Rader, a spokesman for the IIHS.

But that isn’t happening. At least not yet. If anything, there’s evidence that motorists may be saddled with higher insurance rates as lane departure warning and other ADAS technologies become ever more commonplace. But why?

Experts say that’s because these systems make use of an array of onboard camera, radar and other sensors that are, in many cases, mounted in the grille, sideview mirrors or a vehicle’s bumpers and fenders....

bwilson4web Jan 24, 2018 Read More Replies: 17