Lockdown Air Quality & EVs

[Morris Minor]

My family is telling me you can now see the London skyline from tens of miles away. Nights are cooler. The sky is bluer.

[Soup DeVille]

My family is telling me you can now see the London skyline from tens of miles away. Nights are cooler. The sky is bluer.

I have always been able to see Detroit on clear days from about 20-25 miles from the right vantage points.

I'm kind of skeptical about a lot of these statements about air being suddenly cleaner and think people are just noticing it more.

For one thing, cars are exceptionally clean now for particulates, and for another, the atmosphere is a really big thing that doesn't change that quickly.

[MX793]

I have always been able to see Detroit on clear days from about 20-25 miles from the right vantage points.

I'm kind of skeptical about a lot of these statements about air being suddenly cleaner and think people are just noticing it more.

For one thing, cars are exceptionally clean now for particulates, and for another, the atmosphere is a really big thing that doesn't change that quickly.

Lots of diesels in the London area, and diesel particulate controls are relatively recent.

Also, DI gasoline engines have relatively high particulate emissions (on par with pre-trap diesels) and few, if any, have any kind of particulate traps.

[Morris Minor]

Also it occurred to there are virtually no planes over London. They put out more stuff in one takeoff than any individual could in a lifetime of driving.
Nonetheless - I'm inclined to an EV.

[GoCougs]

I have always been able to see Detroit on clear days from about 20-25 miles from the right vantage points.

I'm kind of skeptical about a lot of these statements about air being suddenly cleaner and think people are just noticing it more.

For one thing, cars are exceptionally clean now for particulates, and for another, the atmosphere is a really big thing that doesn't change that quickly.

It's the diesels, 95%+ from commercial rigs, which don't have the same emissions oversight.

And yes, regional air quality can change in a couple of weeks. Diesels are (that) nasty.

[GoCougs]

And airline travel is a ginormous source of pollution and the planet should be doing WAY less of it, which would happen naturally if the jet makers and airlines were left to their own devices (i.e., not SOE/nationalized) - airline travel is naturally hugely more expensive than it is.

[giant_mtb]

No. lol

Rural people don't give one fuck about EVs.

[GoCougs]

Read the Funny Business Tesla is up to, esp. on their cars bought used, such as disabling features and sometime the entire car. No fucking way I'm letting anyone have absolute control over my car's OS.Perhaps GM, Porsche, Nissan, etc., aren't doing that, but nobody's buying those EVs (well, except for the Bolt, but not by much).

Left alone this downturn is kills EVs, at least by the legacy automakers. Such as it was, very few citizens could afford EVs, and no automaker can make money selling them. Maybe we get an EV version of C4C - C4EVs anyone? Still won't change the unsustainable situation of EVs.

[FoMoJo]

I have always been able to see Detroit on clear days from about 20-25 miles from the right vantage points.

I'm kind of skeptical about a lot of these statements about air being suddenly cleaner and think people are just noticing it more.

For one thing, cars are exceptionally clean now for particulates, and for another, the atmosphere is a really big thing that doesn't change that quickly.

Not suddenly cleaner, but much cleaner over the past 30+ years.

My daily route from 30+ years ago took me across the moraine North of the city.  Early on, on a clear windless morning, I would see a dirty brown haze hanging over the city, mostly from transit buses I suspected.  Prior to retiring, 10+ years ago, it simply wasn't there.

Visible pollution seems to have been cleaned up, but now living 20 km from the airport, my wife's sinus/asthma situation has quickly deteriorated.  Not much visible, but returning after a day trip outside the city, the smell is there.  Still lots of man made shit in the air we breathe. 

[Galaxy]

I think in general that might be one positive we can take from this crisis. Not just the air pollution, also the clean water in many harbours, with dolphins back in them,  and the Venice canals having crystal clear water. It is an eye opener. 

[veeman]

Beijing had noticeable better air quality at the 2008 Olympics because they shut down nearby factories and cut auto traffic for a few months prior to the games.