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One or two of us have been saying for some time that the current EV switchover targets will have to soften, for the simple reason that targets are all well and good but are not achievable if the buying public aren’t behind them which, with current EV sales and projected sales, is clearly the case. I understand that the business secretary is making a statement today, so let’s see what happens.
Some of us correctly predicted the previous softening of the targets (in spite of being mocked by some). Could we be right a second time? 🤔😉
In all seriousness, if they don’t soften the targets now they will have no choice but to do so over the next few years, so will they kick the can down the road or will common sense begin later today?
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I think they’ve gone about it a bit haphazardly, the the targets would have been fine if they’d made proper provision for charging infrastructure including those with no access to off street parking. as it stands, they will have to make changes to their big ‘plan’
That said I want my EV already, stupid delivery times 🙂
Olaf Scholz has hit out at the European Union’s zero emission vehicle plans and has also said any fines that would be levied must remain with manufacturers, so they can modernise their own industry, their own company.
Of course he is right in what he said and I’m a strong believer forced migration is not the right approach.
I only hope Labour acts with common sense later today and also sacks Sillyband or it’ll be more than Vauxhall Luton pulling out of the UK.
The UK is responsible for 1% of global emissions so hopefully the penny will finally drop!
I think they’ve gone about it a bit haphazardly, the the targets would have been fine if they’d made proper provision for charging infrastructure including those with no access to off street parking. as it stands, they will have to make changes to their big ‘plan’ That said I want my EV already, stupid delivery times 🙂
This is a significant issue. For those of us with the ability to charge at home an EV makes a great choice, with new battery technologies developing this public charging problem really isn’t a problem anymore. However, when you have rows of cottages with no parking or long terraces of industrial accommodation (factory workers housing, for example) then solutions need to be provided as a much higher priority than additional rapid/ultra rapid charging. Without a series of charging stations that you can plug into overnight that bring the cost below petrol or diesel there’s no incentive for the majority of the remainder to change.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
I think they’ve gone about it a bit haphazardly, the the targets would have been fine if they’d made proper provision for charging infrastructure including those with no access to off street parking. as it stands, they will have to make changes to their big ‘plan’ That said I want my EV already, stupid delivery times 🙂
Yes, even the government minister doing the news rounds today admitted that, at times, as many as half the public chargers in his constituency can be out of action. I must confess that I don’t pay a great deal of attention to them as I’d never use a public charger, but I can’t say that I’ve ever noticed a great number of them out of use. That seems to me like an excuse to blame the charger companies rather than admit that the targets are just simply unachievable!
They seem to be suggesting that they might ease up on the individual year targets as long as the final 2030/2035 targets are met. Whilst that’s a step forward, I still maintain that, based on current and projected levels of EV take up (especially amongst private buyers, who form the majority), those end dates will have to change, if not now in a few years time. Customers cannot be forced into buying EVs. They have to want to do so and it has to make financial sense for them. Tax payer funded subsidies are not the answer either, as past evidence shows that they benefit the manufacturers rather than the consumer. Interesting times ahead.
Agree Glos Guy,
Bribery and coercion is never going to work long term and does little to reduce emissions. Volvo, for example, has said that nearly half of BIK incentivised PHEV business users never plug in. Thus incentivising an extra heavy, resource hungry, ice car. Insanity. Was reading that during that long spell of stratocumulus- aka anticyclonic gloom- renewables fell to 3% of grid demand. Majority supply by burning LNG gas imported from USA and Qatar – by diesel ship. You couldn’t make it up. Wood chips from the pacific coast forests for Drax? Another eco con. Converting the calorific energy of gas to electricity losses @30%. Transmission of said electrical energy another 30% Battery storage and transformer/inverter/ rectifier some more.
It very much used to be the case that half or more chargers would be out. You’d need 2 or 3 options for charging as one was very likely to either be blocked for over an hour or broken.
However, Gridserve bought the entire Electric Highway network and brought every charger up to spec, then expanded many sites from 2 chargers to many, in some places a dozen or more. Then add in the number of other companies getting involved and we’ve gone from few and far between to a comprehensive coverage of the motorway network and a good coverage of the major A road network.
Add in the difference between cars capable of 80 to 100 miles on a full charge to now with many commonly achievable cars capable of 250 miles. That means the cars now are capable of going further than drivers are recommended to drive (3+ hours of driving) and much further than many of a certain age can drive between comfort breaks. It changes a mindset from driving between charges to charging when you would normally stop.
There are challenges to overcome, much of which is the national press passing around masses of misinformation because it gets the biggest responses. Watch the reply counts on social media see the boost in numbers when an EV is mentioned, there’s always those obsessed with each end of the discussion.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
There simply seems to be a big Gov reaction simply because manufactures have just announced closures.
IMO I also Expect a rethink on energy benefits once the death toll makes headlines in the new year
What we cant expect imo is a cessation of rushed and badly thought out .Gov policy that is implemented by the unqualified following a couple of closed door brain storming sessions.
Cladding and cutting down on red tape comes to mind
A blind eye given imo to the complete lack of conformity to formal rules or standards simply to increase the profits of supporters following recommendations from .Govs very own select think tanks
There simply seems to be a big Gov reaction simply because manufactures have just announced closures. I also Expect a rethink on energy benefits once the death toll makes headlines in the new year What we cant expect is a cessation of rushed and badly thought out .Gov policy that is implemented by the unqualified following a couple of closed door brain storming sessions. of
Brain storming requires a brain, something this lot are lacking.
As I see it public EV charging points in my opinion are incredibly high and basic putting people of buying and owning EV vehicle ?
Sort out a reliable infrastructure and affordable EV charging costs.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
Yes I thought that 50% being out of use sounded like an exaggeration. However, having a robust network of chargers on Motorways and major A roads doesn’t even scratch the surface of what is needed.
No private motorist with half a brain fills up their ICE cars in these locations as the prices are eye watering. Thankfully, due to the much higher ranges of ICE cars, emergencies aside there is never a need to. However, EV drivers on long journeys may have no choice, unless they are prepared to make time consuming and irritating diversions, making stops in places that you wouldn’t choose to. Failure to do this could make the journey more expensive (as well as longer) than using an ICE car. The answer surely has to be public chargers everywhere and at affordable prices, and we seem to be many years away from that.
Take our village as an example. It’s a big village with around 4,000 residents. We have a very busy petrol station that everyone uses as it’s as cheap as the supermarkets (sometimes even cheaper). Yet there isn’t a single public EV charger in the village, or anywhere within miles of our village for that matter. Probably 90% plus of residents have off road parking, so it’s maybe not as much of an issue here, but there are thousands of villages like this where the majority don’t have that luxury. Then of course there are city dwellers, the vast majority of whom have no off road charging options.
The government cannot expect people to switch to EVs in the ‘hope’ that this will one day be addressed. The infrastructure has to come first. So whilst it’s sensible that the % EV targets by year and the fines system are now going to be softened, they will have absolutely no choice but to move the 2030/35 deadlines. Unfortunately, I’m not sure that they have the brains to have worked that out yet!
It’s also interesting to learn today that the 2024 target of 22% of new cars being EVs is likely to end up being 19% in reality, and that’s even with manufacturers throwing huge discounts at the market which they are warning is not a sustainable situation. The whole thing is a mess. Ideology over common sense.
Lets not forget most people do not even have home charging and considering an EV is simply a pipe dream for them
Timeframe is well off and as usual just like smart motorways doomed to failure
For future expansion of EV ownership the concentration needs to shift from rapid charging on the go to destination charging either at work or home (at or near to each). Destination chargers should be significantly cheaper than rapid, as they don’t need multiphase supply and DC conversion, it’s a simple AC feed with a computer and plug to ensure the car can charge. Like home chargers, a quick chat between car and charger but with an added payment processing.
Street lamp chargers, pop up chargers car parks full of destination chargers for office blocks and factories, even city centres should be offering dozens of charging spots with similar charging speeds to home.
The travelling ultra speed charging network is big enough to get all current EVs wherever they need to get on all but the most extreme days (the great Christmas pilgrimage where everyone travels to their parents/grandparents/Christmas celebration places). Even the August bank holiday weekend didn’t suffer the sort of long queues that the previous Christmas period found.
As for costs, the companies are pretty much standardised. If you stop at an Instavolt charger you pay the same whether it’s at a MSA or in the middle of nowhere. Gridserve, who have a huge motorway network, also charge the same regardless of site. The problem is that Instavolt sits at 89p per kWh Gridserve 79p and pretty much all sit between 69p and 90p, with the exception of the opened Tesla network and some subscription prices.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
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