EV future and Porsche

[SAC1]

^^ We will have to see. Pure EV is not the panacea that you believe it to be. It is not workable for a lot of people.

Virtually everyone can recharge a mobile phone, but that is not the case with cars.

Viable propulsion alternatives will surely emerge. If not then personal transport ion will be denied a large percentage of the population. That will not go down well in an advanced country like Britain.

[Deleted User 1874]

Pure EV is not the panacea that you believe it to be. It is not workable for a lot of people.

Actually I don't view EV as a panacea at all. Even if the whole world switches to EV, long term global emission targets are still unlikely to be met and that was highlighted in the MIT study. But EV is the best short-medium term solution we have on the table today other than restricting transport, which may well have to happen in the long term. But if we stick to the next 20-30 years, personal transport is going largely EV. Cambridge might well end up as a seaside town too!

[Dandock]

I think there’s a lot of technological water to pass under the bridge even prior to 2040 or whatever current or imaginary watershed there may be.

As per the Guardian article on the ‘you can’t please all...’ thread both Sweden and China are currently trialling interactive road surfaces that charge as you drive. Despite the combined knowledge of the forum I’m sure there are many possible options out there waiting to be fully developed or even conceived. And even if a member was party to that information they would probably be bound by a NDA so they're not going to say anything - even obliquely.

Whilst politicians worldwide make statements manufacturers have to do the work and somehow they have to meet in the middle: look at the US right now with California, manufacturers et al threatening the US Government with court action over emissions. China meanwhile is going in the opposite direction. I have little technical knowledge but, as we only possess each car for very little time, I think it’s a case of being aware of the mood and reacting in the way that best suits ones circumstances and conscience.

[Col Lamb]

I would not hold ones breath waiting for viable propulsion alternatives.

It has taken 30 years to get Ion based batteries to where they are today.

There are other battery tech in development but they will be years off mainstream use.

What other forms of propulsion could there be, LPG is a no go, Hydrogen is a possibility but production is grossly inefficient, bio fuels will still cause localised pollution. There is nothing, so its a case of going with the best least polluting tech.

It has to be EV, there is nothing viable that exists in a form that can lead to production within reasonable timescales.

That said it does not matter about battery tech, its a case of going with the best option and then changing battery types in the future. Modular battery containment within cars would then make changing the battery pack relatively easy, as per Tesla’s current system.

The biggest reduction in pollution can be achieved by reducing those one person car journeys, empty vans, empty hgv’s etc but to do that we have to have clean, efficient public transport and the incentives to use it.

Why does EV charging have to take place at home? It does not, it may be inconvenient to charge at a public EV charging area at a location 10 minutes walk away but it is possible. As is charging at a localtion close to work. There are always alternatives, it will be a case of having to be flexible. Induction charging either static or on the move is not technically easy, especially on the move and the distuption to install the infrastructure will cause colossal disruption.

As it is where I live and I live in a City it is not viable to travel by bus to the Supermarket as no bus goes past them, I would have to take a bus into the City, take another one on a route that passes a Supermarket, shop, then retrace the journey. Not exactly encouraging useage of public transport but there again I live in a Labour controlled City which like all Labour held Councils they have been excessively penalised by the Tories.

[Deleted User 1874]

It has to be EV, there is nothing viable that exists in a form that can lead to production within reasonable timescales.

Exactly. Even a book I had at university 30 years ago was talking about EVs of the future and only now are they starting to be a real thing. The timescales to switch over to EV are already plenty long enough! Any "new" source of pollution free transport will be for future generations to discuss. I think EV is the last major change I will see in my lifetime i.e. next 30+ years (I hope!)

[happy days]

Motorbikes. I predict that the Western world will adopt some form of light, personal transport device (like a motorbike) while India, China et al go for cars.

[spook]

Tesla Crash and yet another EV explosion.

Unfortuaneley there were two deaths in Florida

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/95 ... two-killed

[johnd]

Not to mention the sheer number of chargers needed for the 30+ million UK vehicles.

I was interested to see an actual figure for the planned growth in chargers over the coming years in this news item:

https://www.zap-map.com/instavolt-offer ... more-38507

InstaVolt, who are one of the specialist enterprises currently building out the charger network, have just completed their 100th (UK I think) rapid charger but reckon to be aiming for 3000 units by 2021, so that's obviously a 30-fold increase just 3 years away.

There are different networks in the market at present (though many with fully compatible physical connectors) and offering different charging propositions. InstaVolt are probably the most expensive, but are then allowing free-access months, presumably to spread the word about their locations. I can well imagine some shaking-out and takeovers as the market develops before there's a more universal network with a more uniform pricing regime.

[SAC1]

Auto Express 09.05.18 article entitled: "Could you live with an electric car? The pros and cons of owning an EV today"

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/e ... ning-an-ev

It includes:

"Of course, to do this you need somewhere to park your car that's close to an electrical supply. Research shows that the majority of domestic garages are hardly ever used to park a car, while many people won't have off-street parking as part of their property, especially in built-up areas. Add in the fact that around 40 per cent of people live in rented accommodation - limiting the ability to fit fast-charging points - while around 20 per cent of the population live in flats, making it even tougher to fit a domestic charging point - and you have a big EV issue."

[Wing Commander]

"Of course, to do this you need somewhere to park your car that's close to an electrical supply. Research shows that the majority of domestic garages are hardly ever used to park a car, while many people won't have off-street parking as part of their property, especially in built-up areas. Add in the fact that around 40 per cent of people live in rented accommodation - limiting the ability to fit fast-charging points - while around 20 per cent of the population live in flats, making it even tougher to fit a domestic charging point - and you have a big EV issue."

All very valid points.