 Goodbye combustion engine? (1)
No, we are not unconditionally committed to electric drive. Our shared history with the combustion engine is far too long for that. If you do the math, that's already 57 years. You don't throw something like that away without
good reasons.
How it has developed magnificently in this time. From a baby with high maintenance requirements and generally modest performance to a high-tech product. Our last Golf was at least 190 km/h fast, as a diesel, with only
1.6 liters of displacement.
Aerodynamic, even quiet and, despite driving relatively fast on the highway, only consuming around 5 liters per 100 km. Enough space for four, maybe even five people. If that wasn't enough, you could go for the Passat. If
you needed more luggage space, you could even get also a Golf Variant.
What more could you want? Why should it go away? Yes, it seemed a little more sensitive than the previous Golfs. A bit of a diva, success gone over her head. But of course that's nonsense. They just needed to tighten the
reins on quality control.
So does it make sense to drive mainly on electricity and lug around at least 150 kg of extra weight? Just so you can fill up with petrol on holiday and get there a little quicker. But why does it all seem so unchangeable?
It isn't. The lovers of vintage cars won't convert them all to electricity and thereby make them worthless, but will occasionally buy expensive e-fuel for their meetings and trips. There they will then talk about the good old days.
But simply replacing 1.25 billion combustion engines worldwide? It should be said that this will not be possible to accomplish so quickly anyway for manufacturing and cost reasons. But that is precisely why we must at
least start as soon as possible.
But who is forcing us to do this, apart from a few fanatical politicians? It's simply the nature of things. Take a look at the steam locomotive in the video below. In the end, it was relatively perfect for its type. Even the stoker
had essentially been replaced by oil-fired engines.
And yet it had to disappear. Today it seems anachronistic to us, like technology from the day before yesterday with its wild behavior, the enormous emission of more than just pure water vapor, its noise and bursts of gas
even when braking.
The combustion engine did that for a long time too. All braking energy went into the machine instead of storing it. The only option was to drive cleverly and use at least some of the energy by 'sailing' (gear out). Or this
constant starting when you wanted something from it.
Of course, eventually there were also electrically operated air conditioning systems, which meant that you didn't have to start the engine in a traffic jam when it got too hot. But when it got too cold, the only thing that helped
was leaving the engine running. All the engines behind us today, waiting for the traffic lights to start.
Of course, there is an automatic start-stop system, but has it ever become widespread among drivers? More of an annoyance due to expensive and short-lasting batteries and starters. The idling of the combustion engine
is actually yesterday's technology.
Then you get the bad feeling of driving your car just two streets away in winter. Poison for the engine. And all the inventions to make petrol engines more environmentally friendly don't work at that moment. And they don't
work on the return journey either, if it's short enough.
But you don't ask a washing machine whether it's OK to use it. You don't have a bad conscience either, even if it's outside in the garage. Changing the oil and filter is time for that to stop.
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