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The Future of Overland Travel? The Future of Overland Travel?
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  #1  
Old 5 Jun 2018
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The Future of Overland Travel?
Curious to gauge the opinion of the collective about where the future, long term, is for the internal combustion engine and overland travel.

As the legislative noose tightens around neck of diesel engines in the developed world, how will this trickle through globally? Will diesel still be the go to fuel in 15-20 years time for the independent traveller ? On an RtW trip, will cities become inaccessible without hybrid drivetrains or will classic exemptions see folk driving SIII and HJ60s?
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  #2  
Old 6 Jun 2018
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The Future of Overland Travel?
I can tell you that here in Honduras it'll be a century unless the country is absorbed by a some continental mega-country. Same goes for Nicaragua, Guate and Mexico. The infrastructure doesn't exist and things are getting worse, not better, in these parts.
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  #3  
Old 6 Jun 2018
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Agree with 31. Predictions 20 years into the future are seldom correct or close. In 1998 it would have been impossible to know that the US would have a black president, that Ford would no longer be making cars, that you would be considered old fashioned because you still had a land line, that electric cars and motorcycles are being discussed as the next new thing, that you could watch a movie while being in an moving car. Enjoy what you have today because you may not have a tomorrow.
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  #4  
Old 6 Jun 2018
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The OP asks about diesel, not petrol. We're in the Four Wheels branch of the HUBB, where (maybe) diesel availability is important. For the majority of HUBB users--who travel by motorbike, not giant diesel trucks--not so much.

From my personal perch in the US of A, it doesn't really look like either form of fossil fuel is likely to go extinct within the next couple of decades--too much personal and business investment, and too much dedicated infrastructure. The people building multi-billion dollar pipelines and offshore drilling rigs are doing so because they think there's money to be made far into the future. I'm inclined to suspect they're correct, even when I don't favor their means of doing so.

Mark
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  #5  
Old 9 Jun 2018
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Diesel is a bit overrated.

There are already enough issues if you take the newest Euro 6 diesel and fill up with poor diesel.

Yeah an old diesel is nice for overlanding but they are dying out. Or just to old for people to choose them.

Petrol is fine, there is no real need for diesel.
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Old 9 Jun 2018
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By the way, there was a Swiss couple who went through Central Asia in a f...... Tesla Model S !

It will be fine.
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  #7  
Old 19 Jun 2018
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lovetheworld View Post
Diesel is a bit overrated.

There are already enough issues if you take the newest Euro 6 diesel and fill up with poor diesel.

Yeah an old diesel is nice for overlanding but they are dying out. Or just to old for people to choose them.

Petrol is fine, there is no real need for diesel.
Unless you are actually travelling outside N. America, the EU or Australia, for real. Then an "old diesel" or Euro 3 or earlier is actually essential, the alternative sometime being low octane petrol that can ruin a modern engine. And/or can rapidly deplete one's bank account, example being petrol powered Soviet trucks that get 1.7km/L (4mi/US gal) as compared to 9 mi/US gal in Euro 3 quasi modern diesel that can still use high sulfur diesel.
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  #8  
Old 24 May 2019
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The future is now...


https://plugmeinproject.com/
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  #9  
Old 24 May 2019
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Yes. And the Rivian truck is coming with an option for a huge battery pack that will have a range of 800 to 1000km. That means your pretty free in chosing your route amd bushcamping and what not, you just gotto find a plug.
Obviously it is still way to expensive and it needs to get down to an acceptable second hand market.
But for the trips we have done, the range is very acceptable and would not have been an issue.
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  #10  
Old 28 May 2019
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Originally Posted by misterpaul View Post
The future is now...


https://plugmeinproject.com/
Who is really sustaining you? All these donors... Conservation of energy, it doesn’t come from nothing. And how much fossil fuel is used in the generation of electricity in various countries?
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Old 28 May 2019
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Valid point. I have even seen small island which had a huge diesel generator, might as well run on diesel straight away :P
And you could also wonder why you would go through a gas power plant if the stuff can be burned in cars right away (many CNG cars these days).
However, there are more and more renewable energy plants being installed everywhere, so that is the direction we are heading. It does vary a lot. Just look at Europe. One country uses only coal, Denmark is using almost only wind power.

But the efficiency of an electric vehicle is hard to beat.
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  #12  
Old 2 Jun 2019
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Coal is the source of over 70% of electricity in both India and China. Electric vehicles do not make sense there yet.
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  #13  
Old 2 Jun 2019
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Originally Posted by m37charlie View Post
Coal is the source of over 70% of electricity in both India and China. Electric vehicles do not make sense there yet.
I'm not sure that this follows. Coal is destructive--no doubt about it. But does that mean that gasoline, diesel, LNG, LPG, or others are better fuels? Say, better for the earth? Better for the user? Better for bystanders? Better for local people who get caught up in resource-based wars, profiteering, corruption or oppression?

As far as I can tell, all fuels have their drawbacks. There is a case to be made for electricity: its end-use is clean and efficient. Do these advantages still apply if that electricity is produced by coal? Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn't rule it out just because I don't like coal.

Hey, I don't like copper mines either, or aluminum smelting, or massive dams; does that rule out solar, wind, or hydro power? I don't like fracking, and I sure don't like the geopolitical aspects of big oil; what's that say about burning methane, propane, natural gas, petrol or diesel?

Just trying to notice that things are seldom simple, e.g., "If coal is bad, so are electric vehicles using coal-generated electricity."

Mark
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  #14  
Old 3 Jun 2019
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m37charlie View Post
Coal is the source of over 70% of electricity in both India and China. Electric vehicles do not make sense there yet.
If you are talking about CO2 emissions and global warming, then yes. (but China has the biggest plans, they roll out more solar panel plants in one year than Europe had built combined)

If you are talking about local emission in those smog cities of Asia, it makes a big difference.
They are also closing down industries to close to the city etc.
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  #15  
Old 21 Jun 2019
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Originally Posted by misterpaul View Post
The future is now...


https://plugmeinproject.com/
Interesting project - an electric car plus "I travel without money and rely on the kindness of people". He does seem to have made it to Oz though so that must say something about the kindness of strangers.

I passed someone recently trying to do doing a shorter UK version on a bicycle. He had a cardboard sign hanging from the bike saying something like 'LeJog (or JoGLe as he was going south) without money, please help".

Whether he was doing it for some charity's benefit or just because he needed to get there and didn't have any money the sign didn't say.
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