O/T electric cars

[miller172]

I think the issue of cost etc will take care of itself over time with advances in technologies

A bigger problem to me would be the issue of getting the vehicles charged up, for instance where do people who don't have driveways or live in flats and have to park on a street charge their vehicles. Even if charging points were installed in every street how would you stop people unplugging them from the car so when you get back to it it's not charged

There's so much infrastructure and problems to be overcome before electric vehicles for everyone become a viable option

[Grist_To_The_Mill]

I think the issue of cost etc will take care of itself over time with advances in technologies

A bigger problem to me would be the issue of getting the vehicles charged up, for instance where do people who don't have driveways or live in flats and have to park on a street charge their vehicles. Even if charging points were installed in every street how would you stop people unplugging them from the car so when you get back to it it's not charged

There's so much infrastructure and problems to be overcome before electric vehicles for everyone become a viable option

That’s very true

Petrol pumps are rarely vandalised but charging stations can be in more less populated positions and a target for low lifes

Also charging times need to be drastically reduced. With petrol we’ve got used to refuelling in under 5 minutes, currently (pun there) charging times are much higher and on a motorway journey for example might add 30 mins plus to the journey time, assuming you can find an empty charging point.

[frogmiller]

I drove one for the first time yesterday. I don't know if they're all the same but taking your foot off the accelerator and it slowing down quicker than under the weight of the car was wierd.
This one didn't have cruis control either but apart from that it was ok.

[Grist_To_The_Mill]

Then there are pedestrians to consider, who don’t hear the car coming

[WanChaiMiller]

Then there are pedestrians to consider, who don’t hear the car coming

And cyclists who may trip over the cabling.

[miller172]

Was talking to someone delivering in a Nissan electric van last year and he said you really need to watch for pedestrians because as you say they simply don't hear it coming

[Grist_To_The_Mill]

And cyclists who may trip over the cabling.

They will be on the new multi million cost cycle tracks to nowhere

[harpo88]

I work with some companies in this area and yes there are a lot of challenges but there’s also a lot of coordinated work going on behind the scenes to make it work for consumers. Transport costs are projected to be lower for those with EVs overall in the future compared to today. And don’t forget it won’t happen overnight - non electric cars will still be the majority on the road for well over a decade to come.

On the batteries side yes there are concerns over sources of the minerals, but there’s promising signs for a new lithium mine in Cornwall. And although batteries do eventually become too inefficient for the car (capacity reduced to about 80%) at this stage they can then be used for other applications like electricity storage for homes or grids.

[WanChaiMiller]

They will be on the new multi million cost cycle tracks to nowhere

Lol.

[Grist_To_The_Mill]

I work with some companies in this area and yes there are a lot of challenges but there’s also a lot of coordinated work going on behind the scenes to make it work for consumers. Transport costs are projected to be lower for those with EVs overall in the future compared to today. And don’t forget it won’t happen overnight - non electric cars will still be the majority on the road for well over a decade to come.

On the batteries side yes there are concerns over sources of the minerals, but there’s promising signs for a new lithium mine in Cornwall. And although batteries do eventually become too inefficient for the car (capacity reduced to about 80%) at this stage they can then be used for other applications like electricity storage for homes or grids.

Ah that would be Lithium Cornwall

The tree huggers want electric cars but they don’t want lithium extraction because of environmental issues so they are protesting about it.

“A report on lithium by the Friends of the Earth Europe charity said: “The extraction of lithium has significant environmental and social impacts, especially due to water pollution and depletion”

They may have a point because there have been significant issues with lithium extraction in Australia, Chile and Tibet

Also other than lithium the batteries need cobalt with the main producer being DR Congo, another country that the keyboard warriors don’t want us to deal with. China though has no problem with them and are now monopolising cobalt production there after pouring money into the country.