From the BBC:
Ban on new petrol and diesel cars in UK from 2030 under PM's green plan
New cars and vans powered wholly by petrol and diesel will not be sold in the UK from 2030, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. But some hybrids would still be allowed, he confirmed.
It is part of what Mr Johnson calls a "green industrial revolution" to tackle climate change and create jobs in industries such as nuclear energy. Critics say the £4bn allocated to implement the 10-point plan is far too small for the scale of the challenge.
We'll end up like Cuba, where everybody's driving round in lovingly maintained classics.
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17 comments:
We'll end up like Cuba, where everybody's driving round in lovingly maintained classics.
Everybody? I think not. In Cuba there was no alternative but in the UK there will be. By the way good luck trying to find a petrol station even for your lawn mower.
Can't wait for the introduction of battery powered Ford Transits and similar sized vehicles used by, in the main, small, independent, trades people. Also, the huge number of electric cars which suddenly come to a stop on motorways and major roads in inclement weather when heaters, demisters, and vehicle lights, suck the juice out of the batteries faster than Kamala Harris can say, "Hello Willie. Shall I adopt the position?".
Before you get rid of something, always make sure you have something better to take it's place.
We really are governed by numpties.
SM, I'm gambling on petrol being available for another ten or twenty years. And after that, on the black market.
PS, indeedy.
It's all window-dressing anyway. Johnson's barely in a position to make policy for the next 10 months, let alone the next ten years. This is just a talking point to distract the media from current cock-ups.
D, of course Johnson doesn't make up the rules.
Every government is playing a twattish game of keeping up with the Joneses*, ten years ago it was smoking bans, nowadays it who has the harshest lock down, next year it will be who can announce the earliest "net zero" target.
* Like I give a shit what politicians in other countries think about the UK's current government or their policies. I wouldn't expect Germans, Japanese or Iranians to give a shit what our politicians think about their government or their policies either. It used to be a free world.
My Morris 1000 is 60 years old at the moment, I hope I can keep it going as long as I can drive, it should outlast anything available now.
There has already been a lot said about making sure people with 'classic cars' can get fuel. And that's available now. I can buy leaded race fuel at circuits. And if you run out of diesel you can use cooking oil with an additive.
I was counting up the ICE powered things I have:-
My road car - diesel
Mrs L road car - petrol
My classic/special - petrol
Dumper - diesel
Cement mixer - petrol
Ride on mower - petrol
Smaller mower - petrol
Chain saw - petrol 2 stroke
Hedge trimmer - petrol 2 stroke
Aga - oil fired
Boiler - oil fired
And a 6.5 kw generator - petrol - for when our leccie goes down which it does where I live, regularly.
So the capital cost to electrify all that lot is huge. A massive destruction of capital.
And as i say, my electric is unreliable.
Johnson and his crony idiots have not thought this through.
W42, well done! Have you had it from new?
L, you can't blame Johnson & Co personally, they are just copying what all other governments are doing, and other governments are largely just as stupid. If we had a Labour, Lib Dem (or heaven forfend, Green) government, they'd do exactly the same. if UKIP had got near power, you can bet that they'd have started waffling on about "net zero".
MW. Agreed.
Thoughts from an ex - motor industry friend of mine:
" The timeline is far too short. Basically, it means that a gas car will be virtually unsalable by around 2025 as RVs will plummet. A lot of OEMs will not be able to bring their full suite of vehicles as many won't have their entire range with an electric power train. Plus of course getting UK allocation for electric cars will be an issue so stock will be limited & dealers will be charging full tilt RRP. Certainly not good for the industry & probably not the punter either!
I read yesterday that Ferrari do not intend going down the all-electric power train track within the time of the current management team & I imagine they will not be alone. I certainly cannot envisage a Corvette or Came[a]ro with an electric motor in the next five years!
L, well, you could run the diesels on veg oil and the petrol engines on alcohol. Perhaps steam will make a comeback. Anyhow, as far as I am concerned, series hybrids are the way to go. Just think of the acceleration and the fuel economy.
Yes Lola, folks will stop buying gas cars about 5 years before the deadline (about the time needed to cover the eventual loss roughly). But it's not real.
At the BRE in 08 when I was taking my code assessor for Sustainable Homes exam, the wife of Ed Balls who at the time was chief advisor to the economy, told us Labour will get emissions dropped by 50% by 2015. We (now experts on the costs of greenery to the household) all sat there I'm the class and laughed so much.
The core problem is that there's nothing on the horizon that's going to really push up battery densities. And people can handwave that with "boffins will solve it" but they won't. The boffins are already trying.
So here's a brief list of things that get worse:-
- Towing a caravan, executive cars, family cars, large estates: you'll be stopping every 100 miles
- People who drive around all day who aren't going to want to stop at inconvenient times: midwives, driving instructors, taxis, sales reps.
What happens to the M5 on a bank holiday as people go on holiday to Devon and Cornwall? You won't make it from Birmingham to Newquay so that means lots of charging points for everyone, to sit there for an hour. How big is Gordano services going to have to be for thousands of cars to sit and charge?
What about people living in flats and Victorian terraces? Where do they charge?
Oh, and the range is crappy, and gets worse if you fill up the car with people or start driving fast. I know someone who did a 550 mile return trip and it took him 13 hours with stops on motorways. That's more like 10 in my car, including coffee stops every couple of hours.
There will be an embarrassing climbdown at some point. This is electoral suicide for any government who carries it through.
TS, charging is an almost insurmountable problem.
What they need is easily replaceable standardised batteries. Turn up at filling station, unclip nearly flat battery, swap it for a charged one, pay a few quid charging fee, pop it back in, drive on.
Mark,
I've seen some videos of swappable batteries for buses. Because it means you aren't holding up the bus.
I'm very keen on electric buses as it removes the last advantage that Tram Wankers have.
Batteries are a failure already.
Fuel is what people want.
There's so many ways to make unlimited quantity it hurts
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