| Topic: | Re:EU to ban new petrol/car sales from 2035. | |
| Posted by: | Raymond Havelock | |
| Date/Time: | 09/06/22 09:21:00 |
| EVs are still crude, hyper expensive and not as green as is being marketed. Amazing how a few flashing lights and a sexy display can paper over the deficiencies. The marketeers have recognised what mugs the public are and how easily they can be led when a crisis is created. The 'scrappage schemes' were a complete scam - rather like the daft reduction in fuel tax which is so easily circumvented by the industry. Govt should have used an emergency economy blanket price cap nationally or a fixed set price nationally. But that might mean no partying on the forecourts. Be far better to do grants and subsidies to convert vehicles, particularly vans and working vehicles. Battery life and the materials used are also finite and toxic and costly to the point that replacement exceeds the depreciation value of a vehicle. Car manufacture has advanced to the point that a car can last a very long time if looked after. But the new technology does not last. So the environmental impact of a car, van or bus that is rendered scrap way before it ought to be leaves a huge carbon footprint and a real waste of time effort and energy in it's manufacture. Which is why the deeply flawed ULEZ overlooks that a 20 year old very low use private car, through it's longevity is far less polluting than a newer vehicle doing a higher mileage but only lasting 12 years before being unviable against battery replacement. There is no practicable solution for EVs unless you have a parking space for each vehicle per household. Already, just a few in a standard terraced street causes problems with trailing cables and squabbles between owners all wanting to charge at the same time. Even worse as so many EVs seem to be huge. If the increase in EVs demand reaches a significant point but way short of parity with petrol or diesel, there will be significant shortfalls in electricity generating ability. Electric Buses are using far more electricity than expected and the cost is going to lead to rationalisation of frequencies or subbing by hybrids or diesel buses. The brushed over issue is that the energy required to charge and EV be it a car van or Bus exceeds the amount of conventional fuel per mile. Electricity has to come from somewhere and sustainable means are unable to meet transportation requirements. It will take decades to simply meet current industrial and domestic requirements and with a burgeoning population and a failing service based economy, to sustain any sort of mass employment and economy will require big investment and a return to quality and mid quality manufacturing. Rationing of Electricity if EVs become widespread is a not very far off possibility particularly if a cold winter hits. The problem is simply being shoved elsewhere, and not actually properly solved and pushing EVs as the answer is a short term folly. I for one cannot understand why Buses ( Hybrid and Electric) do not utilise the vast roof space with durable Solar panels that can be easily transferred from vehicle to vehicle so as to minimise freshly generated power. The cost then is reduced as each bus at the end of it's very short service life has it's panels transferred to it's replacement. If we could manufacture buses that lasted 50 years in daily use with a regenerative design, then surely it's not beyond the realm to do the same with modern technology with an inbuilt care plan to exceed 25 years? There should also be a UK moratorium on selling off Fuel stations to developers. The dedicated use for retail/fuel should not be removed. If the national network of fuel stations is lost then other solutions like Hydrogen ( which is the best green and sustainable solution or other possibilities still being developed) then many of these options will be rendered unfeasible and unaffordable. Just the same as happened with selling off disused railway lines and building on the trackbeds rendering any form of revival too costly and near impossible without huge issues. Or is that now impossible? |