The story on the EU directive on cars that Jack Crawford posted (thanks,
Jack!) is typical in that it failed to identify any problems with lead,
mercury, and cadmium, other than that cars that are built without them would
be more "environment friendly" and "conducive to recycling." As usual, it
was long on implementation details. As usual, the citizens won't be voting
on the matter, so no need to try to convince them that this is good for
them. As usual, the reporter just takes a press release and doesn't ask any
hard questions. The article didn't even discuss how you can have a leadfree
car battery. Do they exist? How reliable are they? Cadmium is used to
prevent corrosion. No substitute is known that matches its performance, and
people have been looking for a long time. How does that impact recycling and
cost of ownership?
But what caught my eye was the amount of money that will be involved: DM350
or 180 euros. That's not pocket change. It seems at least possible that some
group representing car buyers or sellers might just balk, and demand a
detailed explanation of what problems this is supposed to solve - something
more than slogans. Adding this much to the purchase price could have an
impact on total sales. Of course, the reaction of the Automakers Association
is simply that the consumers ought to pay for it (which of course they
will).

Gordon Davy
Baltimore, MD
[log in to unmask]
410-993-7399

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