Why car ownership could soon be a thing of the past
Young professionals living in cities are at the heart of the transition
Prices of the electricity we use to charge
- Thread starter flecc
- Start date
I've been forecasting this for years, and it's not just young professionals. The young in general in London have long ago given up any ambition of car ownership and its not just costs that have brought that about. It's having a good comprehensive public transport system, making a car a costly and unnecessary inconvenience. Here we have the lowest car ownership ratio in the country, despite being overall the wealthiest.Why car ownership could soon be a thing of the past
Young professionals living in cities are at the heart of the transitionwww.telegraph.co.uk
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The young don't see owning a car is necessary. My children laugh at me everytime I suggested they need a car for their kids. They just walk, cycle, take the bus or underground or train or rent a car when necessary. We need a car because of arthritis.
There's something going on with the cost of running electric cars at the moment. Insurance is going up disproportionately and We Buy Any Car prices dropping like a stone. The McMaster's 2 year old Taican was valued at £53k in August, £51k middle of October, and £41k a week later. That's 70% devaluation in 2 years. I've got a feeling that the Luton fire might have something to do with it along with the general state of the economy and people waking up to the true cost of running electric cars.
I watched yt channel ectric viking, Sam Evans told us at the beginning of the year that ev prices will collapse this year because China double their production exploiting new sodium battery tech. Price of electric cars in China starts at around 10k dollars.
From the point of view of CO2 emissions, it makes no sense to buy an electric car unless you already have solar panels or can't have them. In other words, rather than spend your money on an EV, you should buy solar panels and an IC car.
The average CO2 emissions from a car are about 4.5 tons per year and the saving from a solar system is at least 5 tons per year from a 12 panel 5KW system. The difference in costs between the two types of vehicle would more than pay for the solar system.
Only 36% of UK electricity comes from green sources, so you only save 1.6 tons by using an EV.
Additionally, you'd save around £1000 a year on your electricity bill from a solar system.
In summary, if you had £30k to spend on a car, you'd be better off getting a £15k diesel car and using the rest to buy a solar system rather than buying a £30,000 EV because you'd save three times as much CO2. So, solar system first, then EV.
My prediction is that the whole EV thing, as we have today, will slow right down. I think the controlling powers will change direction to limiting car use rather than carry on with their stategy of trying to force everybody into EVs.
The average CO2 emissions from a car are about 4.5 tons per year and the saving from a solar system is at least 5 tons per year from a 12 panel 5KW system. The difference in costs between the two types of vehicle would more than pay for the solar system.
Only 36% of UK electricity comes from green sources, so you only save 1.6 tons by using an EV.
Additionally, you'd save around £1000 a year on your electricity bill from a solar system.
In summary, if you had £30k to spend on a car, you'd be better off getting a £15k diesel car and using the rest to buy a solar system rather than buying a £30,000 EV because you'd save three times as much CO2. So, solar system first, then EV.
My prediction is that the whole EV thing, as we have today, will slow right down. I think the controlling powers will change direction to limiting car use rather than carry on with their stategy of trying to force everybody into EVs.
EVs will account for less CO2 in its lifecycle because already half of our electricity is from renewables and more so in the future. I follow the progress of EV manufacturing from watching Australian Sam Evans' YT channel. They live in Thailand(?) and says that EVs sell very well in South East Asia. The Chinese make Tesla cars with gigapresses. Imagine 30% reduction in assembly time. Two third of the car comes off the gigapress in one go. The battery is now part of the chassis. The whole thing clearly shows that the old ways can't compete.
When it comes to recycling, the dealership sells you a new battery and sells your old battery to a recycler. They either repair it (usually just a dud cell) or convert it to solar storage units.
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It's all going to plan, but for sensible people, electric cars don't have the true cost you refer to. Buying one to sell it is simply stupid, people must learn that the entire market is radically changed by electric cars,
That is why the trade hate them so much. They don't sustain the long term second hand market the trade needs. They are far too reliable for the trade, who in Europe including Britain are heavily dependent on car repairs and servicing. Even their MOT is easier and less lucrative since they don't wear out their brake pads.
I spelt out the facts of e-car buying nearly 6 years ago when buying mine:
Only ever buy one to keep it very long term, for me at 82 then it was a car for life.
Only buy one if it comfortably has the range you need.
Only buy one if almost all of your charging will be done at home, cheaply overnight.
Never buy one if your usage means using public Rapid or Ultra Rapid chargers very frequently, since their current is expensive and they shorten your expensive battery's life.
And remember that you are effectively buying a lot of fuel in advance with the high battery cost included.
Get it all right and they can be both very cheap to run and impeccably reliable.
Of course in London with the Congestion Zone and ULEZ, driving one can save a fortune. Anything up to £5500 a year for a commuter on those charges, free VED until 2025 and huge sums on diesel, petrol and servicing,
And that is without mentioning the 3568 free to use public charging points and an assortment of free local authority parking for e-cars. It all makes the higher insurance cost look rather unimportant.
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If you could save all the CO2 from a car by using an EV, it still wouldn't be as much as from solar panels, so what you're saying is a bit moot.
We know the average wind speed. We know the theoretical maximum power you can extract from the wind. It's a simple calculation how much surface area you need to farm the energy from the wind, then compare that with the cost of the farming device.
To answer your question, no, I don't believe it. It'll be like battery technology: The research goes on for years with production always planned for next year. After about ten years, you never hear from them again. As an engineer, looking at that system, it looks extremely inefficient and lossy, plus, it doesn't look like the construction is cheaper than a typical VAWT.
I thought you may be interested. Their idea is simple enough and cheap to build if you have plenty of wind and plenty of land. You harvest from a much larger area than a typical vawt. Their blades are big and cheap. The construction may be rickety but the physics is not dodgy.
People can submit their views via email to StandingCharges@ofgem.gov.uk by 19 January.
Energy standing charges review after anger at rises
Standing charges are the cost of having a home connected to gas and electricity, but rises have been criticised.
www.bbc.co.uk
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Thanks, I didn't know about that. They need to do something. It must be terrible for poor people to spend a week saving up £5 for the meter to get electricity, only to find that when they put it in, it only gives £1.50 - about enough for a quick shower.People can submit their views via email to StandingCharges@ofgem.gov.uk by 19 January.
Energy standing charges review after anger at rises
Standing charges are the cost of having a home connected to gas and electricity, but rises have been criticised.www.bbc.co.uk
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