Electric vehicles

[paulrbarnard]

As an EV owner I was once nearly stranded 80 odd miles from home unable to find an available working charger. I spent hours on ZapMap trying to find an available charger within my remaining range. In the end I crawled to a pub (yes I know I usually crawl away from a pub) to use a charger in their carpark that had just become available, the anxiety of trying to get there before some else does and not driving too fast as to use all my remaining electricity was almost too much to bare.

So when I say that the infrastructure isn't there you can take it from me, it isn't.

On a positive note things are improving now but slowly.

I’ve had the same experience in a petrol car. Late at night and all the garages being closed. More garages are open 24/7 now than they were at the time so less anxiety today. Similarly more charging points are appearing as time goes by. Supply will always lag demand but demand makes supply inevitable.

 

[John Brown]

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 .

What about all the houses that didn't have indoor bathrooms? Things change...

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I doubt they'd have room to charge their cars indoors.

 

[Vulcan]

Amusing that "How liars create the illusion of truth" is published by the BBC.

 

[Spectric]

What about all the houses that didn't have indoor bathrooms? Things change...

Having an indoor bathroom did not have any impact on pedestrians unless before having the indoor bathroom they used a tin bath on the pavement .

 

[Phil Pascoe]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/That-True-Did-Hear-Disinformation/dp/1999359178

 

[Terry - Somerset]

An EV covering an average mileage (150 miles per week) will need around 50kwh pumped in weekly - quite possibly just once per week. We no more need a recharging infrastructure for each property, than a separate fuel pump allocated to each ICE.

I would expect supermarkets, retail parks, hotels, car parks, cinemas, work etc etc etc to provide charging facilities to attract customers. This is little different to supermarket chains running fuel stations as a way to attract shoppers into the store for food etc.

Approx 27% of the UK housing stock is terraced and 22% are flats. Currently this could lead to inequitable charging costs as those with off road parking can charge at domestic rates (possibly off-peak) but terraced and flat dwellers will have little choice but to pay higher commercial rates.

That the infrastructure is immature should come as no surprise - but it is capable of improvement.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It should also come as no surprise that those of us without EVs will end up subsidising it.

 

[paulrbarnard]

It should also come as no surprise that those of us without EVs will end up subsidising it.

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

 

[John Brown]

It should also come as no surprise that those of us without EVs will end up subsidising it.

Great! I can't wait to get some of my money back from all those poor people I've been subsidising for years!

 

[John Brown]

Having an indoor bathroom did not have any impact on pedestrians unless before having the indoor bathroom they used a tin bath on the pavement .

What happened to the real moderators? When did ChatGPT take over?

 

[Just4Fun]

My son has just bought a (used) Audi A3 hybrid. The range on the electric motor is limited - about 30 km - but that covers all or most of his driving on most days. The car charges in about 2.5 hours on a domestic supply. For his use the car seems fine. It wouldn't suit me because every journey I make is longer than the range on electricity, but he is certainly happy with it. Horses for courses.

 

[Ozi]

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

Ever heard of robbing the road fund licence?

 

[paulrbarnard]

Ever heard of robbing the road fund licence?

The what? Wasn’t that something that existed in 1930’s?

 

[Ollie78]

My son has just bought a (used) Audi A3 hybrid. The range on the electric motor is limited - about 30 km - but that covers all or most of his driving on most days. The car charges in about 2.5 hours on a domestic supply. For his use the car seems fine. It wouldn't suit me because every journey I make is longer than the range on electricity, but he is certainly happy with it. Horses for courses.

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

 

[RogerS]

What about all the houses that didn't have indoor bathrooms? Things change...

But your comment does not address his legitimate concern. Just being smug. What is your proposal for the problem he refers to ?

 

[RogerS]

What happened to the real moderators? When did ChatGPT take over?

Oh dear...popcorn anyone.

 

[Ozi]

The what? Wasn’t that something that existed in 1930’s?

Yes and still happening

 

[Blackswanwood]

But your comment does not address his legitimate concern. Just being smug. What is your proposal for the problem he refers to ?

44% of UK housing stock doesn’t have off street parking. There are just just over 53k public charging units with 16k installed in 2023.

The target is to have 300k public charging units by 2035 but it has been recognised that the pace is currently behind where it needs to be. Changes have been made to make it easier to clear planning requirements - we’ll have to see if it works.

The 300k doesn’t include the additional capacity that is emerging through the likes of major work sites offering charging.

It’s correct that it’s currently not as easy to switch to an EV for those who don’t have off street parking. It can still be done though and will get easier over time.

 

[Lefley]

98% of cobalt used in batteries is a by product of copper mining. Nobody seemed to care when they bought a laptop, tablet, camera or mobile phone. Will you stop flying as well, as some modern passenger aircraft rely on large lithium batteries?

https://www.cobaltinstitute.org/abo...lt is mined across the,it into a usable form.
Then again, it seems the issue is being addressed for electric vehicles. But when zero % of an EV battery contains cobalt I suspect the fact will persist and people will still buy laptops and phones.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Sc...ake-better-lithium-ion-battery-without-cobalt

Very correct, with 74% and climbing rapidly coming from the Congo.