Tesla CEO Elon Musk thinks that we’ve reached the limit of what we can do with diesel and petrol engines, and that we should focus on developing a new technology.
Naturally, without saying it directly, he’s referring to EVs – which is what he’s doing, and doing a fantastic job at it. But could he be right; is this as far as we can take diesel and petrol units in terms of emissions or fuel consumption? Based on the Dieselgate scandal, it could very well be.
While speaking in Belgium, Musk was asked about the VW Group’s ‘defeat device’ and if he thought that it would cause consumers to lose faith in green tech.
“I think it’s the opposite,” said the Tesla CEO. “Whatever the Volkswagen […] is really showing is that we’ve reached the limit of what’s possible with diesel and gasoline. The time has come to move to a new generation of technology.”
While moving past diesel and petrol powered cars would be a long arduous journey for most markets, isn’t that where we’re all headed anyway?
Perhaps Musk himself was surprised that something this big happened so soon – even Mercedes might be looking to turn away from diesels and focus on hybrids. Also, if a car manufacturer such as VW can’t make your Golf TDI more eco-friendly than it already is (or isn’t), then that’s pretty much it for the technology, right?
The automotive world will move forward and probably do so swiftly. Let’s face it, there’s nothing like a big scandal to bring change to an entire industry.
Story references: Topgear
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