Electric cars are coming....

It did make me chuckle this announcement. There are so many questions unanswered and so few resources to carry out the building of these vehicles. The only way this would work is if the majority of the population gave up their cars, I can't see that happening. There are so many specialist vehicles on the roads which won't work running on electric motors.

A fancy dream I'd say, but over 20 years to go. A lot can change. Maybe horse and cart will make a come back..!
 
alainax said:
What will happen with classic cars? Is it just for car sales? They are not going to ban classics from the road?
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I think it said "new car sales" so classics would be ok. I don't think for a minute it'll actually happen, so I hope the government aren't wasting too much money trying to make it.
 
There's a JLR engineer on our yard who reckons that electric cars will be great to tow with because the weight of the battery makes them extremely stable ( I don't know about torque etc). The government gave them a grant to install a power socket in the drive for their electric car and they have solar panels installed so the car is pretty much carbon neutral apart from the construction materials and whatnot
 
I'm pretty sure I won't be riding at that point, even if I'm alive ;)

I am sure that this is a bit tomorrow world, in that the idea is there but no set plans. The government make the announcement and let industry work out how it will work.

As for horses I'm pretty sure by then they won't be on the roads, even if they are not banned, it will be to dangerous. In forty years of riding I've seen a real change. Cars are only going to get faster, people more detached.

My biggest concern, is the easiest solved and that's the noise. They must admit an audible sound. Not only for riders but for cyclists and for the blind, plus for everyday safety it would be stupid if they were too quiet. I have seen programs where companies have considered this and added engine noise.

As for the electricity to run them, no matter what we are going to need power, clean power, who knows what the future holds. Let's face it who thought a few years ago we'd walk about with a powerful computer in our pockets and think nothing of it.
 
ester said:
Can we blame Gove? It was in the manifesto. I do rather think it hasn't been thought through but by saying it now they are trying to force the sellers arms to come up with something asap.
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Well if it's in the manifesto then I'm sure they'll be a u turn between now and 2040...
 
Frumpoon said:
There's a JLR engineer on our yard who reckons that electric cars will be great to tow with because the weight of the battery makes them extremely stable ( I don't know about torque etc). The government gave them a grant to install a power socket in the drive for their electric car and they have solar panels installed so the car is pretty much carbon neutral apart from the construction materials and whatnot
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The torque is stunning. Full power from zero miles per hour. I've had to learn how NOT to spin the wheels in my electric van. Range is currently 80 miles. Version due out soon has double that. There is already a Tesla with a range of 335 miles.

Power - we are nowhere near tapping the available solar power, even in this country. We have eight panels on a south facing roof which provide a full charge in six hours, just like the mains does.

The national grid is a HUGE problem that surely can't be fixed in 23 years? My OH, a power engineer, says that the current estimate in the industry that in any average street there will only be capacity to charge six cars at one time.

But this isn't just a pollution issue, we are running out of 'cheap' oil. The current low price is nothing to do with future supply and demand. It's a function of current, and temporary, over supply by countries needing money to support their populations in otherwise uninhabitable places. And the US fracking operations, which are yet to return its investors any profit and doesn't look like they ever will.

We live in interesting times!
 
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Oh and I were discussing this last night. I wonder where all the people who live in flats or houses without drives will plug in? There will have to be a huge investment in our infrastructure. however, i suspect in 20 yrs time many of us won't own our own car. we will book a driverless one to come to us and it will go off either to recharge or do another journey. It should drastically reduce the number of vehicles in circulation and we will probably have more home working and flexible working as employers adapt. with regard to the lack of noise, my daughter's car has sensors which slow or stop the car if there is something in the way. We tested this recently whilst on holiday, she was following me, I missed a turning and braked very abruptly and her car did the same without her having to do a thing!
 
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