Could the Ram diesel and all diesels disappear?

A 2014 Ram Ecodiesel owner stirred things up on the Ram forum when he posted that people should enjoy their diesels while they can. The California driver says “The handwriting is on the wall folks. Love your diesels while you still can. Germany calls for a ban on combustion engine cars by 2030.” It is true.

The German Federal Council passed a resolution calling for a ban on diesels and internal combustion engines by 2030. After that you would have to buy an electric vehicle or perhaps a hydrogen fuel cell. Luckily, the resolution isn’t legally binding but the Council is asking the European Union to consider the same sort of legislation. I would doubt that any country or especially a coalition of countries could act that quickly, but it certainly got drivers talking on the forum.

Crash from Michigan tries to allay other diesel owners fears. “I wouldn't get to worried about it, it's less than 15 years away. Too many infrastructural changes have to be made, none of which have been planned out or standards set on how. My prediction on the mass roll over of technology will be cars and trucks similar to the Chevy Volt, you'll will see more gas/diesel over electric vehicles first. Hydrogen powered vehicles pose the same constrains as propane and Compressed Natural Gas, a delivery and refueling infrastructure build up.”

General Motors has been working on hydrogen fuel cell technology for over fifty years and they admit that the biggest problem is the lack of infrastructure. They are currently testing a fleet of vehicles, but again the inability to stop for fuel in remote locations is a major drawback.

A Ram owner from Vegas says it may make sense for Germany but not other countries. “Smart, Germany depends on importing 100% energy and has almost no ability to be energy independent. Homes now built in Germany are required to have green energy built into their houses. This will be the next step in telling third world countries and Russia to keep their fossil fuels and no reliance on their whims. Not to mention the added benefit of clean air to breathe.”

A Ram owner from Louisiana posted a press release from a truck company called Nikola that claims it will have a hydrogen fuel cell semi truck available by December 1, 2016. The release says, “Nikola is announcing that the electric drivetrain used in the U.S. and Canadian markets will be powered by a custom-built hydrogen-electric 800V fuel cell. Nikola’s hydrogen class 8 trucks will be more powerful than any other production diesel truck on the road and have a range of over 1,200 miles between fill-ups. It will achieve nearly 20 MPG with zero emissions.”

It will be interesting to see if Nikola can actually deliver. The release says that the vehicles will be sold first in the countries that have the more advanced hydrogen infrastructure.

A Texas Ram driver is doubtful “When I was a kid they told us we would have flying cars by 2000 too.”

But others like Hugh are anxious to see what the future brings. Hugh says,“Good, I'm ready for a Tesla truck.”