Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

Hydrogen has to be manufactured on earth, and the process is expensive and energy intensive. It must also be shipped around in heavy pressure vessels. It is more efficient to use gerenated electricity to directly charge a consumer's battery than it is to use electricity to gerenate hydrogen and then distribute it to filling stations (using lorries which presumably are also consuming hydrogen as they go).

Much has been said about the limits of lithium battery technology, both in terms of its theoretical maximum capacity and in terms of the world supply of the metal. However, researchers are now moving towards previously unknown chemistries that can potentially double the capacity of a lithium battery (or half the amount of lithium in it, for the same capacity). There is also some very promising research into calcium ion battery tech, as described here:

http://newenergyandfuel.com/http:/ne...ion-batteries/

They key to electric cars is range, not charging speed. If you have a car that can go as far as you can reasonably drive in a day, it doesn't matter if it takes a few hours to recover that range overnight. I have no doubt we will achieve that long before 2040.

Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

No, charging speed is also important. What if you get home after using your car to near it's range, plug in then in get an unexpected all that requires you to drive somewhere?

True that could affect fuel too but you can then drive to a filling station and within minutes be ready to go again.

Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

No, it really isn't - not once you get the car's maximum range north of 600 miles (which is quite achievable if current research into lithium and calcium pays off - Tesla's best performing vehicles can already go well over 300). Who actually drives anywhere near that distance in a day? An electric car leaves home with a full tank every morning because it always charges overnight. You could do an insane 400 mile day trip and still have enough left to do an additional 200 miles if you get that call. In those circumstances the car wouldn't be the issue, it would be driver fatigue.

Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

Of course it's not so much of an issue for people with convenient off road parking but what do households where there is no facility for off road parking do overnight and those households with multiple vehicles? There are countless streets across the country where residents can't even park on the street outside their houses. How/when/where do they charge their cars? I'd agree range is a big factor but that is reduced significantly by the manner in which the vehicle is driven and the use of such facilities as aircon and heating.

Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

One house, one car, wouldn't be the worst rule. The fuel type is totally missing the main issue of too many cars and unnecessary short journeys.
Improved and cheaper public transport also might not be bad idea, but that's just an election soundbite that nobody really means or delivers on.

Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

One house has two cars (atm) - mine and my oldest daughters, we do not even work in the same city, so could never use just one car.

Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

The elite will have authorised vehicle ownership with a static charging point facility at home. The hoi polloi will not have this facility and will lease cars on an as and when needed basis.

Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

Of course, there's absolutely no point having one of those motorised carriages unless you're lucky enough to live near a pharmacy that sells petroleum spirit ...

Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

You can hardly get down some roads as its like a obstacle course for the OH trying to get through the narrow gaps left by cars being parked here , there and everywhere.

Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

The energy companies will love this and make a fortune, I dare say their prices will rise dramatically ,

Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

Ok, i'd be flexible and say a maximum of 2 cars per house - even that would be a vast improvement, where you see several cars per house, sometimes more than there are people living there ! (of course there'd have to be exceptions for those who can't genuinely get about and the car is a lifeline).

We need to get away from the car obsession and start using our legs sometimes. Might help with the obesity epidemic too.

Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

Tesla's long-term aim is for their cars to be fully autonomous. Your car should be able to rest in a remote charging station overnight and then come to your house when you call it.:D

Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

Until they come up with battery technology which approaches the convenience and range of current vehicles there's no way this will be anything other than a huge problem for most of us who live in the real world, in real streets with nowhere to park let alone charge our cars. If HMG had dedicated itself to creating that technology I'd have no problem - I have no love of petrol or diesel and electric vehicles can outperform both. What I see happening though is what's already started - owners of diesels which they were encouraged to buy as a direct result of so called expert opinion, finding themselves effectively punished. I predict that the infrastructure won't be ready, the advances in battery technology won't be sufficient, the environmental problems associated with making/disposing of batteries won't be solved and we'll find ourselves being told we can use our electric vehicles as much as we want as long as it's only between the hours of midnight and 6.00am and we don't try to recharge our vehicles more than 3 times a week. NOw if HMG is honest about this we can all at least make a judgement about whether environmental issues trump our convenience but let's not pretend that argument doesn't need to be had and we'll all be able to enjoy the same freedom and flexibility we currently do.

Yes that will probably have environmental benefits and we need to weigh those up but let's not try to pretend that battery technology is going to yield the freedom we all appreciate at lower cost and with all the wonderful environmental benefits we'd all like to see. That isn't going to happen.

---------- Post added at 16:05 ---------- Previous post was at 16:04 ----------

... and who'll be held responsible when a jaywalking, mobile phone addict gets run over by it? ;)

Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

Lets also stop pretending this will make much of an impact on the environment either as electric cars means batteries which i honestly don't see the manufacturing of them to become green anytime soon let alone in 20 years. Whatever green benefit there might be will be massively offset by the growing economies that will more then fill any gap we might make. This is just the usual political bs to pander to people and the chances of it happening are slim to zero.

Re: Petrol & diesel vehicles ban (2040).
 

You're a bit of a control freak on the quiet, aren't you, Mr K?

Still, nice to see you can be flexible! :rolleyes::D