Electric cars, and the national grid!

[Macca]

I don't think the mass-market will move beyond petrol/electric hybrids, at least not in the next, say, 30 years, so the problem will never arise.

The gov are not interested in pricing people off the road as vehicle manufacture is an essential part of the economy, on the contrary thanks to PCP it has never been cheaper to 'buy' a new car.

[Ammonite Audio]

Vocal supporters of electric transportation will point out that the grid can be actively managed and balanced using smart metering to determine when vehicles should (ideally) charge, preferably using excess renewable power, and that vehicle-to-grid systems can suck energy from cars back into the grid when needed. All correct, up to a point, but if EV adoption is to reach the levels required to meet government targets, then clearly overall demand for electricity will increase enormously. I suspect that energy saving across industries and housing due to efficient lighting, appliances etc have already gone as far as is practicable, so future increased energy demands due to EVs will have to come from increased generation, in whatever form that may be.

My concerns over EVs are that rather wealthy and vocal supporters (eg Fully Charged on YouTube) don't seem to accept that this us all too expensive for most people and that we don't all have detached houses with big roofs for solar PV, and garages for Tesla Powerwalls, and the sums don't show that actually owning an EV is any less expensive than an ICE car. EVs in urban environments, where travelling distance is a handful of miles per day, are very much a good thing and that's where the government's emphasis should be directed - for anyone who undertakes even a few longish journeys a month, EVs become less attractive. The evangelists will tell me that public charging infrastructure is now pretty good, and that charging times are relatively short, but that does not take into account increasing demand for public charging and how long we might have to wait for a charger (if it is working). The genius of Elon Musk and Tesla was to plan and develop the charging infrastructure before the cars, so Tesla owners are possibly the only ones who can indeed contemplate regular long journeys, since Tesla Supercharger stations have many chargers and they seem to work. On top of that, leasing a Tesla Model 3 is about the same each month as leasing a BMW 320d, so this is a rare example of an EV that makes a financial case for itself (just click around Select Car Leasing's site to see the figures for other EVs, against equivalent ICE cars).

I hope that some common sense gets brought in with regard to zero emissions transportation, which for heavy good vehicles, trains etc might be better served by hydrogen power (which can be generated from surplus renewable electricity and stored relatively conveniently). The government's 2035 target is ambitious, but it will certainly create perverse incentives for people who cannot afford the new EV dream to hang onto old cars (which might not be a bad thing if new ones aren't being created to replace them). Ultimately, democracy might intervene when people realise that they cannot afford independent and convenient personal transport, while the smug elite waft around in their (electrified) Zil limousines.

[walpurgis]

There is no such thing as zero emmissions transport. Electric cars are energised by fuel used elsewhere.

[Ali Tait]

I don't think the mass-market will move beyond petrol/electric hybrids, at least not in the next, say, 30 years, so the problem will never arise.

The gov are not interested in pricing people off the road as vehicle manufacture is an essential part of the economy, on the contrary thanks to PCP it has never been cheaper to 'buy' a new car.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51366123

[Marco]

Just continue buying second-hand, and worry not, if you don't want to be forced into being a sheep...

Besides, most of the oldies posting on here won't be driving in 15 years time, so they have nothing to worry about!!

Marco.

[Stryder5]

You can only have a home EV charging station IF you have off-road parking.

What will replace the revenue from petrol, diesel etc sales? Added tax on electricity. How will revenue on car electricity be collected?

Just a few questions, many more.

Gary

[Ammonite Audio]

You can only have a home EV charging station IF you have off-road parking.

What will replace the revenue from petrol, diesel etc sales? Added tax on electricity. How will revenue on car electricity be collected?

Just a few questions, many more.

Gary

Most likely road pricing

[Firebottle]

Electricity demand is going to far outstrip supply if we all have to forced into electric vehicles.

Chargers can be 7kW, 11kW or 22kW. Who's going to want a weany one, everyone will want there vehicle charged pronto.
Also something like 80-85% of council vehicles are diesel and there are NO viable alternatives at the moment. What happens when these can't be replaced and services start to slip?

[prestonchipfryer]

Most of the oldies posting on here won't be driving in 15 years time, so they have nothing to worry about!!

Marco.

That'll be me then.

[Audio Al]

Just continue buying second-hand, and worry not, if you don't want to be forced into being a sheep...

Besides, most of the oldies posting on here won't be driving in 15 years time, so they have nothing to worry about!!

Marco.

NO NO NO not anywhere near Wrexham