diesel

Europe has been closing refineries for 10 years. Now even a fire in Nigeria raises the price of diesel

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Diesel prices in Europe have once again set off alarm bells. In a matter of days, the market has experienced a sharp rebound that cannot be interpreted as a one-off shock, but rather as the symptom of a fragile energy system that, in the face of a global chain of incidents, has left the continent without defenses. A chain of critical interruptions. The immediate origin is in a succession of stoppages in refineries and international tensions. According to the Financial TimesEuropean operators reacted with concern after several facilities in Kuwait, the United States and Nigeria were forced to stop or reduce production due to fires or technical problems. These interruptions coincided with already very low inventories and with demand that remains stronger than expected. Adding to this instability was the announcement that United States sanctions against the two largest Russian producers, Lukoil and Rosneft, will come into effect immediately. As the British media explains, these measures will block any operation related to the international assets of both companies, including refineries that still indirectly supply the European market. Only the Bulgarian Lukoil refinery has received a temporary exemption until 2026. The scenario is even more complicated with the fall of Russian crude oil. According to Bloombergits price has fallen to the lowest level in more than two years, just when large Asian buyers have paused purchases due to the entry into force of sanctions. In addition, the EU has also sanctioned Russian refined products that arrive re-exported from India or Türkiye, a flow that had served as an indirect way to compensate for the lack of European diesel. An extremely vulnerable market. Europe has lost refining capacity over the last decade. According to data cited by the Financial Timesthe continent has closed about 400,000 barrels per day since 2024. This reduction means that it is increasingly dependent on imported fuels and a global market that has become more volatile and unpredictable. The European industrial crisis amplifies this problem. Based on data from the petrochemical industry, high energy costs and Asian competition have caused massive closures of plants in the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. This industrial deterioration also affects the infrastructure linked to fuel processing. For analyst Benedict Georgethe result is clear: “European prices are much more sensitive to any disruption because Europe has closed many refineries in recent years.” A tense world. Although the price of diesel has skyrocketed, the global crude oil market presents a paradox. The International Energy Agency foresees a record surplus in 2026powered by the increase in OPEC+ production and for the rebirth of the American offshore. However, this future abundance is not alleviating current tension. As Bloomberg points outthe market remains trapped between sanctions, fears of specific shortages and sudden changes in global flows. Added to this is a particularly delicate geopolitical context for Europe. The peace plan proposed by the United States for Ukraine has generated a “diplomatic storm” in Brussels and kyiv for their apparent alignment with pro-Moscow positions. This diplomatic uncertainty – which affects sanctions, energy and continental security – adds pressure to an EU that already depends on abroad to guarantee its diesel supply after two years of war. A direct hit. Europe faces a structural problem: it has little of its own refining capacity, low inventories and a growing dependence on imports. Every global incident reaches the European consumer almost unmuffled. And this directly affects Spain for three reasons: Spanish transport depends mainly on diesel. Trucks, logistics vans, buses and much of rural transport continue to use diesel. The escalation is transferred to the prices of goods. Food, imported products, construction materials… Everything that moves by road becomes more expensive when diesel does. Price spikes are amplified. Being a net importer, Spain especially suffers from international volatility. The rapidity with which diesel has risen shows that Europe “has no margin”: each shock becomes a direct blow for consumers and companies. For a standard 55 liter tank, filling a diesel car is already around 79 euros, while with 95 gasoline the cost is close to 82 euros, according to current average prices. Is there relief in sight? In the short term, analysts cited by Financial Times They believe the rebound could moderate during the winter months, when refineries avoid scheduled shutdowns to maximize production. But they warn that the market will remain “vulnerable to any disruption.” In the medium term, the perspective is contradictory. On the one hand, the International Energy Agency anticipates a global surplus in 2026 and an increase in production in both the United States and OPEC+. On the other hand, Chinawhich has purchased more than 150 million barrels for reserves— could stop its acquisitions at any time, releasing an excess capable of sinking global prices or further tightening the chains if it decides to continue accumulating. The warning of a weak system. Europe faces uncomfortable evidence: it has built a fragile energy system at a time of maximum global tension. The combination of refinery shutdowns, sanctions on Russia, diplomatic tensions and loss of industrial capacity has left the continent exposed. As the London media summarizes, “inventories are extremely low and demand is better than expected.” An explosive mixture. While the world navigates between a future surplus and constant geopolitical crises, the present shows that any spark – a fire, a sanction or a diplomatic disagreement – ​​can reignite the European diesel market. And Europe, for now, appears to have few tools to prevent the next shock from hitting even harder. Image | FreePik Xataka | The world is heading towards an oil surplus: the US responds by filling the Gulf of Mexico with platforms again

Renewable gasoline and diesel are the last bastion of combustion cars to be able to circulate in Europe: they have a difficult time

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Whether for lack of infrastructure, strict regulationsocial perception, or by many other factors, electrification is a process that is advancingbut very slowly. Meanwhile, more than 20 million diesel and gasoline vehicles continue to circulate in Spain, many of them more than a decade old (or two). However, there are solutions that try to make this energy transition more bearable, and one of them involves the use of renewable fuels. What exactly are these fuels?. They don’t have a single drop of oil. They are produced from organic waste such as used cooking oils, animal fats, forest waste or crop remains. The catalytic hydrogen generation process transforms these wastes into fuels with properties similar to those derived from petroleum, but with a key difference: the CO₂ they emit when burned is the same as that which plants have previously absorbed from the atmosphere. Here we would therefore speak of a closed cycle, unlike fossil fuels, which release carbon stored underground for millions of years. Emissions. Repsol states that its Nexa diesel can reduce net CO₂ emissions by up to 90% compared to conventional diesel, while your Efitec Nexa gasoline discount more than 70%. In this case, although the engine continues to emit CO₂, it was already in the atmosphere before being converted into fuel. However, there is a nuance: nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) continue to be generated during combustion, because they come from nitrogen in the air when exposed to high temperatures. And for now, studies show conflicting results, with some indicating slight increases in NOₓ with certain biofuels, while others like the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory they conclude that renewable diesel reduces both CO₂ and NOₓ. What is consistent is the reduction of particles and soot. Full compatibility with current cars. This is probably its biggest practical advantage. Any diesel or gasoline vehicle can use these fuels without technical modifications. There is no need to change the engine, adapt the tank, or install new pumps at gas stations. In the case of Repsol, its Nexa diesel also complies with the European standard EN 15940 for paraffinic fuels, and Efitec Nexa gasoline with EN-228. In addition, the company ensures that, thanks to its high cetane number, it improves combustion, reduces engine noise and has a cleaning effect on the injection system. Where to find them in Spain. Repsol clearly leads the deployment, with more than 1,000 stations that offer Nexa diesel and with the goal of reaching 30 stations with Efitec Nexa gasoline by the end of the year. BP too offers HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) in strategic locations such as Tafalla, Getafe, Villacastín Norte or Olaberria, although its network is more limited and is oriented towards professional transport. To locate them, the most practical thing is use web search engines of each company, since they include filters to find gas stations that offer renewable fuels. It is worth remembering that the conventional diesel sold at practically all gas stations in Spain already contains up to 7% biodiesel (B7 label), but it is not comparable to a 100% renewable fuel if we stick to emissions. Cost and availability. Price is one of the main obstacles. Nexa diesel costs approx. 10 cents more per liter than conventional diesel, placing it in the range of premium fuels. Renewable gasoline follows a similar trend. Furthermore, although Repsol has expanded its network, coverage remains limited outside large urban centers and main corridors, especially in terms of renewable gasoline. Industrial production. Repsol produces renewable diesel in its Cartagena refinery and 100% renewable gasoline at the Tarragona plant. The company assures that it has been researching these processes for more than twenty years in collaboration with Honeywell. In 2026, the opening of a new facility in Puertollano with capacity for more than 200,000 tons per year is planned. Who is using them already?. In addition to the fact that anyone can now go to a Repsol gas station to try these fuels, their use has transcended commercial vehicles. And they have been tested in competitions like the Dakar Rallyand even sustainable fuels are used on commercial flights. Also transport companies such as Scania, Alsa or Grupo Sesé have signed agreements for adoption. An intermediate solution. The current European regulations The CO2 emissions test for new vehicles measures emissions from the tailpipe. With this approach, the result is zero for an electric car, but not for one that uses renewable fuel, even if it is carbon neutral in its entire life cycle (from production to consumption). It is for this reason that the industry and defenders of these fuels are asking for a change in the methodology so that the complete life cycle of the fuel is considered. Repsol and other players in the sector They ask for adapted taxation and long-term objectives that provide stability to investments. The Spanish mobile fleet has an average age of 14.5 years and it has more than eight million vehicles that are more than two decades old, according to data from ANFAC (Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers). Therefore, renewable fuels could be an intermediate alternative in this stage of energy transition, especially since they do not leave millions of drivers behind. Cover image | engin akyurt In Xataka | In 2001, Renault launched a car ahead of its time: it was a miserable failure that now has another chance

The largest nuclear power plant in Europe has been connected to diesel generators for a month. It’s as encouraging as it sounds.

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Europe is once again walking a nuclear tightrope. After more than three years of war, the largest atomic plant on the continent —the Ukrainian Zaporizhia plant— has gone from being an industrial symbol to becoming at a point of friction capable of triggering an emergency of continental reach. In parallel, other plants in the country operate at reduced power after attacks on the electrical grid. The situation is so unstable that the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, recently traveled to Kaliningrad, Russia, for emergency talks with the head of Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, according to the Anadolu agency. It is a gesture that reflects the extent to which the risk is real. An attack that left two centers at minimum. According to a statement from the IAEAa military attack during the night of November 7 damaged an electrical substation critical to nuclear security. This incident left the Khmelnitsky and Rivne plants disconnected from one of their two 750 kilovolt lines and forced the electricity operator to order a power reduction in several of its reactors. Ten days later, one of the lines was still out of service and three reactors continued to operate at limited power. The agency emphasizes that these substations are essential nodes of the network: they allow the voltage levels that feed the security and cooling systems to be transformed and maintained. Without them, plants cannot guarantee safe operation. One month depending on diesel generators. The situation in Zaporizhzhia is even more critical. According to an opinion column by Najmedin Meshkati, professor of engineering and international relations published in the Financial Timesthe plant spent a full month without outside power after its two main lines were cut. During that time it survived solely on diesel generators, a resource that the industry considers strictly temporary: they are designed to run for around 24 hours, not for weeks. Technicians were only able to repair the lines under the protection of localized ceasefires negotiated by the IAEA, according to NucNet. Even so, one of the two restored lines was disconnected again on November 14 due to the activation of a protection system. Grossi summed it up like this: “The electrical situation at the plant remains extremely fragile.” The condition for a shut down reactor to remain safe. Although Zaporizhzhia’s six reactors have been on cold shutdown for more than three years, the plant requires a constant three to four megawatts to maintain cooling pumps and other essential systems, according to Meshkati. The professor emphasizes that even huge emergency batteries require external electricity to stay charged. It is a vicious circle: without the electrical grid, batteries are used, but without external electricity, these batteries cannot be recharged and, without both, the cooling systems fail. And without cooling the risk of nuclear fuel melting or overheating increases. The University of Southern California professor warns that this scenario reproduces the conditions that transformed Fukushima into a global disaster: “What turned an earthquake into a catastrophe was the total failure of the electrical system.” And he adds that, unlike 2011 in Japan, this time the risk comes from deliberate human action. A network reduced to its minimum expression. Before the war, according to the Kyiv Independentthe Zaporizhia plant was connected through ten power lines. Today it only has one or two operations and has lost all connection ten times since the beginning of the invasion. The IAEA itself has described the situation power plant as “extremely precarious” and “clearly not sustainable” when it depends for long periods on diesel generators. Short and medium term risks. The notices in the last report on Ukraine by the IAEA point in the same direction: the main danger is not a Chernobyl-type explosion, but a prolonged cooling failure. This scenario could cause overheating of the reactors in cold shutdown, damage to the spent fuel pools and a possible localized or regional radioactive release, with the consequent need to create an exclusion zone in the heart of agricultural Europe. For its part, according to Meshkatiadds two other relevant elements. On the one hand, it points out that a serious accident will exceed the economic impact of Fukushima, estimated at about $500 billion. An incident of that magnitude would affect agriculture, transport, supply chains and the European insurance market. On the other hand, he maintains that if Russia manages to consolidate the precedent that an occupying army can take control of a nuclear power plant and connect it to its own network, the global nuclear security architecture would be seriously compromised. It would be a precedent without equivalent since the creation of international standards that regulate the civil use of atomic energy. Is there a meeting point? The IAEA has acted as an intermediary between Moscow and kyiv on multiple occasions. According to the Anadolu agencyGrossi traveled to Kaliningrad to meet with Likhachev, director of Rosatom, in order to directly discuss the situation in Zaporizhzhia and the minimum conditions to guarantee nuclear safety. At the same time, the agency is trying to technically shore up the Ukrainian electrical system. According to their own statementshas so far coordinated 174 deliveries of essential equipment – ​​switches, electrical cabinets, radiation monitoring stations, vehicles and computer equipment – ​​worth more than 20.5 million euros, intended to sustain nuclear security in Ukraine during the war. Nuclear security supported by fragile cables Europe breathes thanks to a handful of cables repaired under fire and diesel generators that have already proven to be well beyond their limits. As the Financial Times explainsthe continent’s security depends on electricity continuing to arrive and on the parties respecting the fragile ceasefires needed to repair lines when they go down. Grossi summed it up with a mix of relief and alarm after the restoration of one of the lines: “It is a good day for nuclear security, although the situation remains highly precarious.” And the precarious thing, in this case, is that a new attack, a mechanical failure or a downed line is enough to bring … Read more

that some Tesla clients go to diesel

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Tesla is losing the battle for the loyalty of her clients in the US since Elon Musk began His political adventure and Tesla stagnated in the renewal or expansion of its electric cars. A Global S&P report reveals that many Tesla users are changing to other brands, and some are even driving cars with diesel engines. This fall in the loyalty of Tesla users is a thermometer for the reach of the brand reputation crisismore than a change in trend in the electric car market in general. The elephant in the room. Tesla is not living its best commercial moment. Even though their shareholders trigger the price of their actions promoted by the enthusiasm that has caused the Elon Musk Billonario BonusTesla’s sales do not trace. According The published By Euronews, the data of the Association of European Automobile Constructors (ACEA) suggest that Tesla has suffered a sales drop of 40%, and only in July the company sold 42.4% less in the EU. The bad news for Tesla are that this fall It is not generalized throughout the sector of the electric car. In comparison, during the month of July its main rival, Byd, put on the street 200% more cars than in the previous registry, ensuring a market share of 1.1% in the EU, while Tesla remains at 0.7%, falling from 2.1% share that the brand signed in 2024. That means that Tesla still has an important weight in the electric car market, but it is no longer a priority option because the market It has become much more competitive in prices and models. The stagnation of Tesla. Tesla’s reputation has been seriously affected Since Elon Musk began to get involved in politics. According to A report From the S&P Global consultant, in the second quarter of 2025, the loyalty of customers in the US to Tesla fell 9.4% compared to the previous year. This percentage places the brand below Ford, although even above Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda or Mercedes-Benz. This Down in Loyalty to Tesla On the part of its clients it is not due to a loss of reliability of their cars as it could happen in other cases, but to its decisions as a company. Many Tesla users decide not to return to Buy a car Tesla and look for rival brands that offer broader ranges and equipment options that Tesla no longer offers. As a relevant fact, with the exception of Cybertruck, which is not available in all markets, Tesla does not present a new model Since 2019 with Model Y. During that time, the electric car market has been filled with options for all sizes, prices and finishes that do connect with the needs of Tesla users and, when it is time to renew it, they opt for other brands. Tesla is an atypical manufacturer. Tesla’s problem with respect to those who are already customers is that it is not a car manufacturer to use, but in the background it is a software manufacturer and electrical infrastructure. That is, its business model is not based on taking out a new car every three or four years like the rest of the manufacturers, but on creating a platform and updating its software to improve its benefits throughout its useful life. That makes, when a Tesla user seeks to renew his car, he does not find in the concessionaire A new model that makes him feel that he is buying something more modern and current, but that he meets the same car that has parked In his garage, with some aesthetic touch -ups at most. As much as at the software level they have Improved and added new functions and benefits during that time. The electric car user is not loyal. The Global S&P study data show that, in general, the electric car customer is not faithful to a single brand, not even a type of fuel. So far this year, only 58.7% of households with electric car changed to another electric, compared to 68% registered two years ago. On the other hand, combustion car users do remain on this platform when they change car by 84%, although the study indicates that they gradually lose strength in the market. The Tesla client is no different. If we focus on Tesla users, in 2025, only 52.1% of Tesla customers repeated purchase with the brand, compared to 67% recorded in 2022 and 2023. Of those who decided not to buy a tesla again, 68.9% did so to an electric car of another brand, while 31% made a more drastic change and went to combustion cars, being 28% diesel This last fact is striking, since diesel cars are very uninfused in the United States and are mainly available in pick-ups and large SUVs, which leaves Cybertruck in Very bad position Among the purchase options for this segment. In Xataka | Tesla has a good reason to offer a bill bonus to Elon Musk: it is no longer his golden egg chicken Image | Flickr (Gage Skidmore), Xataka

A German Fire team was blindly trusted in its diesel trucks. They discovered that the electric were better

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“We cannot trust experiments in an emergency.” It was, without any doubt, the most repeated phrase in the fire department of the Garching Campus of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) when they considered replacing their diesel trucks with electric. At least, that’s what they assure from the University itself. The phrase was repeated to satiety by their own firefighters during internal surveys. The rejection was widespread for the delicate of the matter: to change the reliability of their diesel trucks for a technology with which many of them had not had contact. The most repeated doubts, collect the companions of Motorpasionwere their load times, the reliability of trucks and even safety during operations. All these concerns seem to have disappeared. And, for those who have not disappeared, there is an expected security network. No, autonomy is not a problem either A year later, everyone seems to be delighted with change. The Fire Park now uses a 66 kWh capacity battery, engines that generate 490 hp and, the small trick, an autonomy extensor that is put into a marking with a six online cylinders that generates another 301 hp diesel. Regarding your capacity techniqueIt has a 2,000 -liter water tank and another 125 liters of Igniphuga foam and, despite being electric, a half -meter Vadeo capacity. That is, at the technical level, there is no substantial difference between an electric truck and a traditional diesel. We said the little trick is in that diesel generator. And it is that the truck is, in reality, an electric of extended autonomy that allows it to have a safety network. This type of vehicles are designed to be used as almost always electric and the combustion engine is nothing more than an emergency solution. In fact, they are usually engines that are used as an electric generator, producing electricity to a battery that feeds the engines. The solution is very widespread in China And, in fact, brands like Hyundai either Mazda They have cars that apply this technology. In the case of an electric firefighter truck, the solution does not go so through the autonomy available to travel (in a city they should be short distances) but to “skip” the load of the truck in case of requiring several interventions in a short time. Because, at the level of interventions, according to your data only 3% They need to turn on the diesel engine to be able to supply energy to the water pump. This, obviously, needs to pull the vehicle’s energy but is not until after half an hour when the battery is exhausted and need to turn on the diesel propeller. “In more than 97% of operations it is not necessary”, They emphasize. Saved that first and important stumbling block, from the fire team seem to be delighted with the new vehicle. They point out that without engine noise they can communicate better between them, both to speak directly and to understand what is being said on the radio. In its article, the German University emphasizes that it is a clear improvement within the vehicle but also for those who work outside it. “This allows us to communicate much better among us, which is great. You can also understand the radio and your colleagues without any problem, so you do not have to continue asking questions, a great gain in safety and comfort.” From the Fire Department they say that “our experience shows that electric mobility works for the Fire Department. I hope that many more fire departments follow their example. In any case, there is a lot of interest: we regularly receive consultations about our experiences.” The next step, they say, will be to install solar panels to load the trucks. Photo | Technical University of Munich (Tum) and Jai Heike In Xataka | Turn off electric cars, according to firefighters: self -colombing, twice water and triggered temperatures

A Spaniard has patented a mast that transforms wind and waves into electricity. His invention challenges diesel in ships

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A mast shaken by the wind, the waves pushing without rest: usual scenes in any maritime journey. The interesting thing is that the same movement can serve to generate electricity. A canary who is one step away from being an engineer has designed a system that converts the strength of the ocean into usable energy, with the ambition to reduce the dependence of the diesel in the ships. It is an idea that takes the everyday of the sea and makes it a concrete technical proposal, simple enough to intrigue and ambitious enough to demand validation in the sea. “In the end it is a three -dimensional generator,” Juan Francisco Sarmiento Medina said in an advance of the Podcast of the Stier Groupand described the mechanism with simple images: “Let’s imagine that my arm is the mast. When the wind comes in front, it clashes, as the mast of a flag, and begins to oscillate. The keel works as a piston of a combustion engine (…) then movement occurs in the x, y y y z axes, all under Faraday’s law,” he explained. That narration of the inventor itself forms the technical spine of the project. What exactly is the e-mast. In its LinkedIn account the project appears as E-MAST (Energy Mast System) and is presented as a technology that transforms the structural vibration of the mast into clean electrical energy. According to the textthe system integrates an encapsulated rotor without exposed parts, linear generators and piezoelectric elements to convert oscillations into electricity, and can direct part of the induced air under the keel in the form of microburbujas. The advantages of the inventor are clear: “Without diesel engines, or maintenance. The owner of the boat, as there are no mechanical parts that have to be maintained with oil or that are broken, also reduces costs in that sense,” He pointed to El Español. The inventor also underlines the operational silence due to the absence of external propellers and the total structural integration into existing masts. These benefits, in any case, will require trials to measure power, autonomy and acoustic signature. Of production patent. The applications of applications published by the author encompasses autonomous marine surveillance, oceanographic research, defense and ecological navigation platforms in protected areas. According to Sarmiento Medina, the e-mast is protected by two patents, ES202430338 and ES202430339, with a favorable report according to the promoter. According to the newspaper La Provinciathe promoter figure around half a million euros international protection and development and has conversations with shipyards in France and the Netherlands to explore production. The sea still has the last word. Sarmiento says that he is a neighbor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and recognizes that part of his learning and opportunities come from the Stier Group, which has supported his training. This local support, added to the intellectual protection that it declares in its public profile, has allowed to convert a daily element of any ship at the base of an ambitious technological proposal. Now the most difficult part remains: validate the system in the sea. But the idea has already demonstrated something important: that there is still margin to imagine new things, even in an environment as old as navigation. Images | Juan Francisco Sarmiento Medina In Xataka | A “Roomba” to clean rivers: the ship that the three throats has launched in China

The cheapest way to maintain a Mazda RX-7 is to stuff a diesel engine. And yes, there are those who have dared with it

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Rotary engine, scamotable headlights and a silhouette, simply, perfect. The third generation of Mazda RX-7 is not only a sculptural carit is a fundamental pillar of the Japanese automobile culture that came to us in the 90s. For those who grew up those years with Gran Tourism under the armJapan became an absolute reference when building our most precious memories. They were years of matagigants such as Honda NSX or the Nissan Skyline GT-Rdomain in the World Cup in Rallies of Subaru and Mitsubishiand the tunning with greater taste that has been seen with the Toyota supra, Mitsubishi Eclipse or the Mazda RX-7 (among many others that I leave) by flag. As if that were not enough, later the iconic would arrive Mazda RX-7 by Dominic Toretto In the first to all gas, I would return with Han in Fast & Furious Tokyo Drift And, meanwhile, we could drive it in the aforementioned Gran Turismo or in the Need For Speed, if we want to follow that tuning aspect. It is not surprising that the public has love to a car that was not only beautiful. He was also spectacular for his peculiar engine and his delicious sound. All that has been lost with this peculiar restoration. A DIESEL MAZDA? “I bought it two years ago and it was nothing more than a chassis (…) had no engine, or gearbox, or interior …” With these words, the Arnold declaration begins, a Polish that Account on the Nightride YouTube channel (Almost a million subscribers), the story of his Mazda RX-7. The words of the owner of this mythical sporting have the halo that seems to be exculpating their sins in the confessional. “I started with the aesthetic part”he recounts when he says that only after modifying his exterior and resembling him to aesthetics Touge (The Japanese seventies fashion to skid on the mountain roads that is collected in films such as Fast & Furious Tokyo Drift or in the famous initial manga d) It was when he thought what he would do with the engine. The third generation of Mazda RX-7 is famous for set up a rotary engine biturbo that reached 280 hp. In addition to a very light chassis, the car quickly became saint and sign of Drift lovers. It was a car that had everything, a brutal aesthetic, a rare engine and a sound that remembered the mythical Mazda 787b That was done with the victory in Le Mans. “I wanted the car to be controversial”. And what if it has been. Not precisely because of the aesthetic carbon fiber package based on the needd Speed Underground. Arnold decided that nothing would cause more impact than forgetting the rotating engine and seating a six diesel cylinders. Yes, you have read well. I know you need time to digest it. Can you keep reading? The six -cylinder diesel came from a BMW 5 E39 series. With the smile of who knows that has committed a crime He has achieved his goal, he says on the camera: “I wanted to have a car with a shocking engine under the hood. And it was shocking, because it works in a Mazda RX-7”. And then, with a smile, he explains that he valued many types of engines but that was finally decided by the six BMW diesel cylinders. A reliable and cheap engine. No other engine that I could use was so cheap and gave it so much performance. But he also confesses, “I liked to anger people.” Looking at the good side of things, Arnold says that the project was born with the idea of being “a cheap drift car” that could complement with the other RX-7 that, this yes, has a rotating engine in its garage. But the project became more expensive. He raised the power from 184 to 270 hp and installed a rear differential, also from BMW that he customized. He assures that he continues to use it as a car for Drift but, finally, so much attention for the detail has made it a vehicle to use on a day -to -day basis. With his beautiful image his diesel engine will not attract attention … until someone misses the particular howl of the newspaper. “Some love him and others hate him”says at the end of the video. Well, Arnold, we imagine that on that balance there are many more on one side than in the other. But at least we stayed that the chassis of a Mazda RX-7 was returned to life and now dazzles those who find it down the street. Photo | Jacob s and BMW In Xataka | Mazda 6e, first impressions: to give up what seemed inalienable to become a missile against Tesla Model 3

The first prohibitions to diesel cars over 10 years are already underway. There is only a small detail: there are no

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Gasoline cars that comply with Euro 3 and diesel cars that comply with Euro 4 or Euro 5. That is the definition made by the DGT of the vehicles that They carry the bchatin B in cars. Although, really, what traffic has done has been discriminating for years of enrollment. Thus, cars with stickers B are enrolled between 2000 and 2006 for gasoline cars and Between 2006 and 2014 for diesel. This decision has generated some inconveniences since there are vehicles enrolled before 2000 (gasoline) or 2006 (diesel) that comply with the aforementioned emission regulations. But, except those exceptions that can be reviewedcars with stickers B are at least ten years behind them if we talk about diesel vehicles. Discrimination has raised some controversies since the owners of these cars face more hard restrictions than gasoline cars. To sticker equality, his car is many less years old. And that opens the door to be prohibited to diesel cars more modern than gasoline in our cities. Restrictions that, as you have been able to read, are already applied or will arrive very soon. But they do not exist. An exception (very exceptional) In recent days, social networks have been filled with messages that point to alleged prohibitions to cars with sticatin B. that is, gasoline with more than 19 years behind them but diesel with just over 10 years. But the truth is that when one goes to detail, those prohibitions They do not exist or, at most, they will be very soft restrictions that do not limit the use of the car. First, you have to understand that Since 2023 All cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants had to launch low emissions (ZBE) areas to improve air quality. But in the regulations It was not established how they should be These, who had to affect nor a punishment was established for not doing so. This has caused many municipalities to choose not to apply the measure, claiming that they needed clear orders from the government (aware that it is a measure that can negatively affect the electoral level). But it has also caused Paradoxes like Ciudad Realwhere you aspire to establish a ZBE … where all cars can access (even those who have no environmental labeling of the DGT). If we use the map that the government itself has active and select Restrictions by B labelwe will see that only the city of Segovia, Madrid and Barcelona remain active. In Madridcars with b label can circulate without problem but in the area of low emissions of special protection center center (ZBEDEP CENTER DISTRICT)they are obliged to park in a parking lot, whether public or private. It is the same restriction as when the area was called Madrid and there are no firm plans to change it. The case of Barcelona is a bit more special. Right now, all cars with stickers can circulate within the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) without restrictions. Of course, cars with stickers B are included. The point is that The Generalitat of Catalonia has given green light to a plan to put obstacles to its use. That plan puts on the table restrictions on cars with B label from January 1, 2026 in all cities of More than 50,000 inhabitants within Catalonia as long as the anti -antamination scenarios are activated. That is, when the pollution is so high that it forces to prohibit circulation to some vehicles. It is something that It is also contemplated in Madrid In some scenarios. The protocol does contemplate the restriction of cars with B label B but as of January 1, 2028. By then, those cars will be over 14 years in the case of diesel and more than 22 years if we talk about gasoline. In Catalonia, cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants are Barcelona (and all the municipalities that already enter the AMB), Lleida, Tarragona or Girona, among others. You can consult here on this link. However, in the plan it is only specified that they will have to have a ZBE and that it must restrict the circulation to the cars with environmental label B but the size of it is not specified. That, just as it happens in the rest of the territory, has proliferated cities where Zbe barely affects a handful of streets, without substantial impact for the vast majority of drivers. That is what happens in Salamanca, the only city that Restrictions to cars with sticatin B already applies throughout Spain. However, the size is just 0.37 km2, the historical bud. Inside can access the aforementioned vehicles if they are registered in that area or if they do it outside the schedule established for the application of the ZBE: Monday to Thursday: from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Vespers of festive: from 7 to 23 hours. Sundays and holidays: 10 to 20 hours. Much Runrún and few prohibitions In spite of everything, in some media we continue to read that there are already prohibitions raised to cars with almost immediate application B label, as inferred in the holders. Then we leave a list of the most commented cities and what will be applied or not. Bilbao: This zbe It has a size of 2 km2 and is active from Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. In that time section, from June 15, 2025 cars with B label B of the DGT are forced to enter a parking lot (as in Madrid) but can enter with that condition until January 1, 2030. By then, these diesel cars will have at least 16 years. Estepona: This zbe It has a size of 0.49 km2 and is also located in the historic center. Here, cars with stickers B are obliged to park in a parking lot or in a hotel, as in the previous case of Bilbao. There are no more restrictions. Getafe: This zbe It has a size of 1.18 km2. Since 2025 it has the same … Read more

Let’s pay more for diesel

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Spain will receive 23.9 billion euros from Europe in the fifth section of European fund aid. It would be greater if they had unlocked each and every one of the requirements that Brussels has imposed on Spain. As if it were a video game, each milestone achieved had its reward in money. And uploading diesel taxes was one of those unnegotiable issues. 1.1 billion euros. That is the money that Spain will stop receiving a package awarded from 23.9 billion euros which is part of the fifth section of aid provided by the European Union within the framework of the Next Generation funds. To receive the funds, Europe forced various reforms. Two of them have not been fulfilled. The first is the one that has to do with the interim who Europe wants to become fixed workers but that do not swell the official’s lists. The second was a tax reform that contemplated a rise in diesel taxes. Failure to comply with both reforms has left Spain without 1,100 million euros. What do we pay? Europe has been pressing time for the price of diesel to equal to gasoline. At least in its tax section. That means that Spain should eliminate the subsidy that this fuel has in the section of the Special Hydrocarbons Tax. Right now, the figures are as follows: 98: 431.92 euros/1000 liters or 0.432 euros/liter gasoline. No lead gasoline 95: 400.69 euros/1000 liters or 0.401 euros/liter Diesel: 307 euros/1000 liters or 0.307 euros/liter. To this stretch of the tax we must add the autonomic that, since 2019, is linear in 7.02 cents/liters. This leaves us a special hydrocarbons tax of: 98: 0.504 euros/liter gasoline. 95: 0.473 euros/liter gasoline Diesel: 0.379 euros/liter. To these figures you also have to add VAT. As this is 21%, the impact will be greater the more expensive the fuel is. That is, in a liter of gasoline more money is collected in VAT than in one of diesel. According to the latest European bulletinin Spain we pay on average the liter of diesel to 1,425 euros/liter. No taxes would be 0.799 euros/liter. That is, 56% of what we pay in a liter of diesel are taxes. Match diesel. Despite this, the great objective of Brussels is to match diesel and gasoline taxes. This fuel is marked from Europe because its pollutant emissions They are more harmful for human beings than those of gasoline and therefore promote measures to reduce their use or get them out of the center of cities. To reduce their use and pressure drivers to look for cleaner alternatives, since Europe they have insisted on equalizing taxes. This would raise the price of diesel in almost 10 cents/liter, ending its competitive advantage in gas stations. I do not do it. Obviously, uploading the price of diesel has an obvious political cost for society. In April, Europe gave an ultimatum to Spain. He had to reach an agreement to raise the diesel or the funds would be frozen. The threat resonated more strongly after November 2024 It would slide from the government that had already reached an agreement to rise to 11 cents the liter of diesel (match the special hydrocarbons tax and the relevant percentage update with VAT). That agreed tax reform He never materialized. It was a failure that arrived three years later from another announced up in 2021 That, as it can be intuit, ever occurred. But that was after the Coronavirus crisis and before the Ukraine War. The conflict gave a last truce. But even before, in 2018, Mariano Rajoy’s government He also torted the possibility to raise diesel taxes. In the end, that reform that was going to affect diesel resulted in a widespread rise of all fuels. The European pressure resulted in the harmonization of the rise autonomic section that It is applied since 2019. Those 7.02 cents/liter of those we have already spoken. 18 million cars. The resistance to implement these measures is not accidental. According to the Latest data collected by ANFACthe Spanish mobile park is made up of 31.3 million vehicles that remain active. Of these, 58.9% are cars moved by diesel fuel. That is, three out of five vehicles, more than 18 million cars still use diesel to move daily. It is the result of a few years 2000 where diesel came to accumulate a market share that seemed irreplacement. In 2007 1.6 million cars were sold in Spain. Of them, 1.14 million were diesel -moved cars. Photo | Daniyar Orazov and Xataka In Xataka | We thought that gasoline cars were much cleaner than diesel. We did not have the effect of the sun

To batteries, it does not need to recharge and save millions of liters of diesel

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While Europe looks with sweet eyes on Hydrogen train and In Argentina they already presume their solar trainAustralia boasts of her brand new electric train. Wait, how “electric train” when that exists for decades and It is called Ave? Because the Australian train has an important nuance: it works with batteries and is not connected to the catenary. The result? An “infinite train” manufactured with racing technology. And with a mission: save a lot of money in diesel. The ‘Infinity Train’. Mining in Australia is a huge business And companies invest to improve their infrastructure, thus being more competitive and efficient in every way. Fortescue (how difficult it is not to write “Fortesque” as in ‘Medievil‘) is one of those companies, and just announce who have completed the pilot trip of their “intinifo train.” Driven only by its battery system and without being connected to the current, this ‘Intinity Train’ has completed a trip of about 1,100 kilometers, and the most impressive thing is that it will have to do another 1,100 kilometers back without having to recharge. In fact, the idea is to make constant round trips without going through a plug. His trick is not called Solar panels Not anything like that: it’s called regenerative braking. Formula braking 1 AND. In 2022, Fortescue acquired 100% of Williams Advanced Engineering, a British company founded as a split of the Williams team of Formula 1, but focused on the creation of High performance batteries for formula E. The purchase was closed for 223 million dollars and the objective was Accelerate decarbonization in the company’s mining operations. One of the keys to Formula E, which also applies to the Formula 1 battery system, is the generation of electric power thanks to braking. It is like a dynamo that generates electricity with the engine in reverse, and in the case of ‘Infinity Train’, it is a tremendously magnified process. A huge asterisk. Because here the trick is that the round trip from Perth to the Pilbara region makes it loaded with materials, increasing the weight of the train and maximizing regeneration in braking. But, in addition, it is a route with a slope down. The slope on the road to the mines to the port is 600 meters, so the train has more than 1,000 kilometers to, with up to 34,000 tons of iron from the mines, generating electricity that compensates for the expense it can do. The return path makes it downloaded and ‘strip’ of that energy that has filled the batteries so as not to need an external load nor the support of the catenaries. And start again: they return to load the train, go downhill up loading their batteries and then climb the energy generated. The matter of money. In a huge continent and with the complicated terrain to install catenaries, it is a solution that has all the way, but the limitation is more than evident: the technology of this train can only be applied in situations as specific as that of long journeys in which the phase of being loaded with materials is done downhill. In other situations, it seems more complicated. But well, the company’s intention is to electrify its more than 50 transport trains for 2030 with the aim of reducing its emissions and, in addition, saving What Diesel costs. It is difficult to get the idea of ​​magnitude, but They speak to cut 82 million liters of fuel per year and reduce 11% of its annual CO₂ emissions if they electrify the train network. Electrifying the mines. From the company they affirm that this technology can be exported to everyone, and in the end it is another step in the MODERNIZATION OF MINES. It is precisely in this work environment that the electrification It seems very necessary not only to reduce emissions and that companies meet their objectives, but to improve the health of workers. In recent years we are seeing Betting for electric trucks and even automatedand the ‘infinite train’ adds to the trend, but with the great point against that it is a possible vehicle in extremely concrete situations. Image | Fortescue In Xataka | France has thousands of kilometers of unused train tracks. So you are covering them with solar panels

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