Electric vehicles

[Phil Pascoe]

In the same way those without cars subsidise those with them through general taxation used for road infrastructure.

The money raised from VED and other road taxes way outweighs what is spent on roads.

 

[Jester129]

We don't have the capacity of electric generation in this country if we all buy an EV. Not difficult to realise, is it?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

We scarcely have enough if we don't.

 

[Blackswanwood]

We don't have the capacity of electric generation in this country if we all buy an EV. Not difficult to realise, is it?

That’s at odds with what others such as the National Grid say. It’s interesting to note that annual electricity consumption in the UK has trended down from 394 in 2002 to 321 terrawatt-hours in 2022.

Even if there would not be capacity today if everyone switched immediately everyone is not ready to switch so I don’t think this is a problem.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Interesting maybe but not surprising. Air fryers, LEDs, more efficient refrigeration, better insulation and the unit price being 3 or 4 times what it was at that time might have something to do with it.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Yes and still happening

No it doesn’t.

 

[paulrbarnard]

The money raised from VED and other road taxes way outweighs what is spent on roads.

True, but my point was someone with out a car is contributing to the roads through general taxation. There is no ring fencing in taxation

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Sophistry.

 

[Lons]

True, but my point was someone with out a car is contributing to the roads through general taxation. There is no ring fencing in taxation

Just as those with cars who never use public transport are subsidising the latter and childless couples subsidising education, healthy people subsidising the sick. etc.

 

[Cobbs]

So we all accept that taxation is OK if it's for the pubic good - paying for NHS, roads, critical infrastructure and so on, so what is wrong with subsidising the switch to a healthier environment? If the things that are causing degradation and global warming are more heavily taxed that the things that don't, surely that fits in with any right-wing tendencies any of us may have, as well as suiting those on the left of things?
I fail to see why it's a bone of contention at all. Tax fossil fuels, (including aviation fuel for christ's sake) subsidise renewables and the means to use them, while not forgetting public transport and closing the income gap - a win for everybody except the fossil fuel lobby and the stupidly rich.

 

[stuart little]

New EV batteries in development are even less likely to catch fire so we should be concentrating on the positives.

https://batteriesnews.com/battery-electric-vehicles-safer-alternative-reduced-fire-risks/
https://ctif.org/news/new-revolutio...ithium-ion-ev-fires-ten-minutes-minimal-water

Ad, equally with the negative!!!

 

[stuart little]

What about all the terraced houses where the front door opens onto the pavement, you cannot trail charging cables across a pavement and fitting a kerbside post charger outside every house is going to take some time and if they all need to use a local public charging point then there will be queues .

That has been my argument all along. I cannot imagine pavements being 'cut up' to have cable ducting installed every few yards. Kerbside charging would be like waving a red cloth to the 'imbecile brigade', saying; "Come on, vandalise me".. That's my rant over for toddy.

 

[Crazy Dave]

I believe you mean a lack of public chargers. “Infrastructure” infers everything required to charge an EV and that isn’t the case.

https://www.nationalgrid.com/storie...ries/can-grid-cope-extra-demand-electric-cars

I would imagine that the chargers aren't there because the infrastructure isn't available to connect them to, simples.

 

[Spectric]

Interesting how the national grid is thinking it can meet the demand from EV's if we all had them. At the moment when there is a surge in demand from say everyone turning their kettles on during an interval in some soap or ball kicking event they rely on a welsh hydro plant to meet the surge so this suggest they are running close to some limit. Then they are in the process of running 180Km of new lines down east anglia from Norwich to Tilbury to help meet the demand in the south east, the power coming from windfarms off the norfolk coast so I suspect what they are really talking about is the south when it comes to EV's. Once you head north then if you look at a map of the national grid then it becomes very sparse north of Birmingham with only one line running north on the west coast and two on the east coast and nothing in between. We are talking of the main distribution lines and not local DNO lines running at lower voltages.

 

[Vulcan]

I would imagine that the chargers aren't there because the infrastructure isn't available to connect them to, simples.

So you’re contradicting the National Grid?

 

[Vulcan]

Ad, equally with the negative!!!

 

[sploo]

I think the hybrid is the sweet spot at the moment, you are not reliant on charging infrastructure but for clean air zones you can crawl silently along between traffic lights.
They don`t need such big and heavy batteries either.
Combined mpg is great on many of the hybrids, I went in one of the Lexus ones and it was amazing with regen braking and 450hp.
Once a cleaner cheaper, lighter, more energy dense battery technology emerges from the many labs and companies working on them now then the prospect will improve.
I also think the majority of cars are the wrong type, by which I mean huge heavy SUV type things. If we went more towards light weight designs it would be a better idea. Like that mad Volkswagen they did that was mega slippery and looked like a space ship.
I myself fancy a Japanese kei truck with an electric conversion, just for fun really.

Ollie

I can't stand SUVs for all sorts of reasons, but almost all EV cars are currently pretty heavy due to the amount of cells required in order to deliver sufficient power and range. Sadly that means that small/light EVs may be some way off. I'd personally much prefer a 1200kg car with 300hp and 250 miles of range to a 2400kg car with 700hp and 350 miles of range.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Interesting how the national grid is thinking it can meet the demand from EV's if we all had them. At the moment when there is a surge in demand from say everyone turning their kettles on during an interval in some soap or ball kicking event they rely on a welsh hydro plant to meet the surge so this suggest they are running close to some limit. Then they are in the process of running 180Km of new lines down east anglia from Norwich to Tilbury to help meet the demand in the south east, the power coming from windfarms off the norfolk coast so I suspect what they are really talking about is the south when it comes to EV's. Once you head north then if you look at a map of the national grid then it becomes very sparse north of Birmingham with only one line running north on the west coast and two on the east coast and nothing in between. We are talking of the main distribution lines and not local DNO lines running at lower voltages.

This is where EV can actually help the situation. With Vehicle2Grid momentary surges can be handled very much more effectively.

 

[Spectric]

I suppose you would need a new generation of smart meters that can provide data to the national grid so they know what is available, ie is your EV plugged in and able to share power.

 

[paulrbarnard]

I suppose you would need a new generation of smart meters that can provide data to the national grid so they know what is available, ie is your EV plugged in and able to share power.

Which is already available…. There are trials underway in the U.K.