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Car manufacturers have to inform customers about the gas consumption
of a vehicle and about its effect on the environment and climate.
They are forced by a legislation from the European Union. Of
course, advertising states minimal gas consumption figures.
But this standard comsumption figure has tremendous upward
errors. The institute for climate, environment and energy in
Wuppertal, Germany made the following calculation: Besides
to the produced energy and the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide
(CO2), there are two additional polluting gases connected to
a vehicle: Dinitrogenodixe (N2O) from catalysators and partly
halogenated flourcarbonhydrogens (HFC), that serve as a cooling
liquid for the omnipresent air conditions. The result (which
can be found in the Süddeutsche Zeitung from April 9th, 2002:
"Die wunderbare Welt
der Schubkraft"):
8 liter cars are 11 liter cars in reality, if all side effects
are taken into account. For example: The air condition consumes
additional 0.35 liter gaz.
Even modern diesel cars that are classified as less pollutant
have a big disadvantage: the micro smut they produce are much
more dangerous than the smut from old diesel cars, as they
cannot be coughed out!
Weird World?
Now is the time of the oldtimer! If you drive your oldtimer
in all sesons, you are the real environmentalist! A study from
Greenpeace
states that the production of a car pollutes the environment
in such a massive way that the gaz consumption during operation
is only a small part of the whole energy consumption. Moreover,
oldtimer drivers are depicted as defensive and cautious people.
The gaz consumption then quickly reaches the level of economic
new cars. Additionally, gaz consuming extras like servo steering
and air condition are usually not built in. Last but not least,
the weight is very important for the gaz consumption figure:
A Mercedes Ponton with its 1200kg is only as heavy as a new VW
Golf.
But popular sayings describing that it is better
to conserve than to destroy are neglected in the vehicle world.
We are supposed to buy new cars
all the time with ever better environmetal friendly technology.
But this only helps the car manufacturer's sales figures. Honestly:
The politically old cars only enable our poorer neighbor countries
to cheaply buy vehicles and reach saturation on the car market.
We pay for a world full of cars! With driving an oldtimer,
you can escape from this vicious circle!
Of course, crash security os not as high as in brand new cars,
but a certain type of passive security you have in an oldtimer:
Drivers are considerated of you and people are smiling at you
and your car! If
you put it like that: How could we survive the journey in a
VW Käfer 30 years ago, without seatbelts? And why do peasants
still walk in the inner city districts without a helmet?
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