Why doesn't Government use diesel Garda cars?

colm_mcm

Givn the high mileage and hard driving Garda cars do, wouldn't it make more sense to drive TDCI mondeos or hybrids rather than 1.8 petrol models. surely even though they pay feck all for fuel, they would still save money in the long run and reduce CO2 emissions?

dubambman

Army are the same

As far as i remember, its because the national stockpile for the event of a national emergency or international supply problem is petrol. Therefore by keeping them all on petrol vehicles emergency services will be unaffected.

colm_mcm

aren't the army patrols diesel, as are ambulances and most Garda jeeps?

mikemac

dubambman wrote: »

As far as i remember, its because the national stockpile for the event of a national emergency or international supply problem is petrol. Therefore by keeping them all on petrol vehicles emergency services will be unaffected.

I think you may be right there.
Had a law lecturer say the same and lawyers don't lie!

But yes, I think that's the reason

colm_mcm

why don't they just stockpile diesel instead of petrol, it'd go further

cregser

colm_mcm wrote: »

why don't they just stockpile diesel instead of petrol, it'd go further

Oh my god! Make this man Taoiseach!

LOTTOWINNER

If the CAB get their hands on Slab Murphy's stock pile of diesel, they can reconsider their position on petrol vehicles.

JHMEG

I'd say it's more to do with inept civil and public servants. Compare the London Metropolitan Police who have petrol, diesel and hybrids. And they've switched to silver instead of white to help resale value.

E92

There are 07 Opel Vectras doing the rounds in Cork, and they're diesel.

And the 150 bhp version too. Not forgetting some of the new BMWs are also diesel. In the continent all or at least almost all Garda cars are paraffin stoves.

I see no reason in the world why we can't have an all diesel fleet. 10 -15 mpg of an improvement wouldn't go a stray in terms of saving the taxpayer money, diesels are more durable than petrol engines, so would be better able to handle the abuse, so maybe could last a bit longer,we often boast about how much quicker in the real world a diesel is, so I'm sure the Guards wouldn't object to a car with extra poke and AFAIK the Guards don't pay VRT so the diesel premium would be very little.

And as JHMEG says, the should change the cars to silver too, for exactly the reason he very rightly mentioned. The UK did this several years ago.

colm_mcm

Any police cars I saw in Italy were diesel, actually any cars I saw bar supercars were diesel. The police over there drive Alfa 159's with alloys etc, in much better nick than our battered Mondeo LX's.

E92

In Italy 90% of BMWs sold are diesel. Same goes for France.

In German 47% of cars sold so far this year are paraffin stoves. In France its 70%. Italy is around the same. Scary stuff, especially when you realise that this year is the year where a record percentage of new cars sold are diesel. And we're only at 28%. Even the Brits(believe it or not there was a time when we bought a higher percentage of diesels than they did) tare getting close to 40% diesel.

When I was in France last year every car seemed to be a paraffin stove. They were quite literally everywhere. It felt like diesel was as popular there as petrol is here. And because I was in the south East of France and near the Italian border, I saw plenty of Italian cars, and not one of them was petrol.

2009 will be very interesting, cause it will be the first full year of the new VRT regime here, now that the minister has gone back on his word and won't be implementing the changes till June.

People who want high polluting cars had better buy early next year, people who want low emission diesels and petrols will have to wait.

Seth Brundle

The government don't give a crap about the electorate. Why should they care about the environment?

junkyard

I've seen and repaired quite a few diesel Garda cars over the years.

timmywex

certainly some of the garda cars are diesels, im talking about 07 mondeos here, unmarked and ambulance are certainly, transits or mercs

E92

kbannon wrote: »

The government don't give a crap about the electorate. Why should they care about the environment?

Has nobody told you the Greens are in Government:D?

We all know the Greens love saving the enviornment, which is why the Enviornment Minister(how ironic) has the highest mileage travelled of any Minister by car.(I know he's in a Prius, but if he really wants to save the planet he'd be in a Focus FFV, which is just about the greenest car you can have when it's running on E85).

E92

The Ministerial Petrol Mercs are being/will be replaced with oil burners.

When the tender went out for the 'large executive saloon cars' earlier on in the year the reqiurements apart from having an engine larger than a 2.4 and a slush box and creating the right image and all that were that it had to be a diesel.

And I forgot to mewntion I've noticed that the 07 Garda Mondeos are diesel too.

JHMEG

E92 wrote: »

Hif he really wants to save the planet he'd be in a Focus FFV, which is just about the greenest car you can have when it's running on E85).

Quite the opposite in this country where the ethanol is produced from fermentation.

Matt Simis

colm_mcm wrote: »

why don't they just stockpile diesel instead of petrol, it'd go further

And a diesel fleet could be made use alternative fuels far easier than a petrol one if the need arrised.

yayamark

transits, ford galaxys some mondeos, fiat ulsyesses (sp) are all diesels

colm_mcm

surely some patrol cars in the city centre should be hybrids, auto boxes would be nice for the drivers, and the EV mode means they can sneak up on crimnals silently!

testicle

dubambman wrote: »

Army are the same

As far as i remember, its because the national stockpile for the event of a national emergency or international supply problem is petrol. Therefore by keeping them all on petrol vehicles emergency services will be unaffected.

The army are not the same. Every vehicle in the Defence Forces fleet, with the exception of motorbikes and the CVR(T) Scorpions are diesel powered. The only reason the Scorpions are not diesel is because it would not be cost effective to convert them.

JHMEG

colm_mcm wrote: »

surely some patrol cars in the city centre should be hybrids, auto boxes would be nice for the drivers, and the EV mode means they can sneak up on crimnals silently!

Not a new idea I'm afraid colm. The London Metro Police use hybrids in the congestion charge area, not that they'd have to pay it anyway.

testicle

E92 wrote: »

In Italy 90% of BMWs sold are diesel. Same goes for France.

That is because of the ~20-30c/l price difference between petrol and diesel.

E92

testicle wrote: »

That is because of the ~20-30c/l price difference between petrol and diesel.

Same difference in Germany too, yet they haven't seen as much of a need for diesel as the French and Italians have!

E92

JHMEG wrote: »

Quite the opposite in this country where the ethanol is produced from fermentation.

Well since have a Green Minister for the Enviornment, one presumes that he'll do something about this. Cellulostic Ethanol does cut emissions by 85%, according to the US Government.(source)

In that case, I nominate the Aygo/C1/107. Or a Smart fortwo(when he only needs 2 seats),I know he'll look like a fool in one, but the Prius is hardly a car that gives the impression that it is a car for a Minister either.

jimmycrackcorm

Ambulances being bought are all diesel.

timmywex

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Ambulances being bought are all diesel.

and have been for years, transits down the years and now mercs, always have been diesel, well, as long as i can remember

E92

That's cause they're converted vans, and all vans have been diesel for ages!