The Future?

There is one fundamental issue that most are choosing to ignore.

The generating capacity in the UK is on its knees. Projection for 15 years time is for lights out scenario based on current usage. The only possible saviour was nuclear 10 years ago, this did not happen. Our current nuclear capacity is now aged and heading towards redundancy.

Nobody is building new power stations, wind and solar can not be left alone to supply as they are variable. The grid is creaking. 

Adding another 50 million 2kw chargers to the grid is just not an option. The infrastructure just does not exist and there are no plans to make it exist. There is no plan from government to make this happen. 

As it is currently fossil fuelled vehicles are the most efficient least polluting transport available. Electric cars are not zero emission, they are deferred emission. If the government set policy by listening to engineers and scientists instead of spouting unfounded rubbish then we might get somewhere.

Electric is a big part of the solution but not if there is no generating infrastructure to supply it.

I don't really see how street lights every 30m (say) are going to greatly improve the situation. They are also usually on the back of the footway in many such areas in order to give clearance from the highway whilst maintaining footway width.

Not ideal but better than nothing and should be easy to do EasyT

peedee

We have a massive new replacement nuclear power station going up at Hinkley Point, here in Somerset. It has cost far too much but it's going ahead. If you look at the National Grid web site you'll see what is being done for the future. Last winter we had two days when output came from renewables, this is something which will increase.

Unfortunately emissions from fossil fuels have gone up rather than down despite efforts to improve the situation. This is why the gov. are increasing efforts to encourage alternatives.

Incidentally our EV is built in a non conventional way including plant based fibres. The vehicle is 95% recyclable and the emissions from the rex (the tiny petrol engine which recharges the battery on the move) produces minimal particulates. The rex negates the need for frequent electrical charging most of the time the vehicle is in use, even on relatively long journeys.

I feel if people really looked at up to date information about power and EVs they may find their opinions will change and see the future benefits. 

Not ideal but better than nothing and should be easy to do EasyT

Not easy to do at all When much of the terraced properties were built what services would have been laid in the footway? Maybe gas, water and electric. Now there is telephone, cable and no doubt heavier electric cable in the footways as well. 

Most lighting columns where there are terraced properties and in most other residential areas are at the back of footway unless the footway is particulariy wide. There are many footways in many terraced property areas areas that are only 5' wide (and less) that is1500mm. Street furniture is sited to give a minimum 450mm clearance from the carriageway edge. If we say that a lighting column is around 300mm wide this only gives a footway width of 750mm. minimum access width for a wheelchair is 800mm. 

I think that your last para says it all for me ...... future benefits. It is not if EVs will be totally viable in the UK it is when. For many that time is a distance away

A close friend has a "Tesla S" and is delighted with it's convenience, performance and comfort.  One downside is that it is not "Type Approved" ( if that's the official term) for towing in the UK. So it ain't a tow car.  Only a problem for Tuggers.

K 

For those of us who might like to tow vans with an EV this is the development we are waiting for in the uk. Hybrids can tow. My OH has spoken to a lot of people in the industry and USA about this but we're still waiting for news. 

Apologies, going off tack a bit as the OP talks about motorhomes and that will be an interesting step forward too.

I think that’s fake news. The studies that I have seen by National Grid show that there is a very small increase in infrastructure needed and with the advent of smart meters etc. charging can be deferred to off-peak times.

With regard to pollution, it is much easier to control this at the original location where the pollution occurs such as the factory or power station. Much more difficult to control at the individual user end.

Ah yes smart meters. Good job we all got them before 2010 as planned by the government and the power industry working together. By the way this fiasco is for a far simpler meter than would be needed for EV charging. That meter or the associated technology does not yet exist, has no protocol agreed between all the stakeholders and no specification.

Oh no sorry only 10% have smart meters and those that do find that they don't work if you change electricity supplier and that virtually all that have been fitted to date will need to be changed. But never mind I am sure they will work it out eventually. They are taring up the plan and starting again, should all be sorted in a decade or five.

Fake news hey, well we can all charge off peak. Apart from the 60% of the population who have no parking at their residence. So we only need 10 million street side charging points for which no feasible cost effective design currently exists.

According to the web, "The total number of UK locations which have a public charging point installed (6057), the number of devices at those locations (10184) and the total number of connectors within these devices (17455)".

So to summarise my fake news, we can all rely on the smart meters. These are not the smart meters that are decades late already and don't work but the ones that do not even have a concept proposal yet. Should be sorted soon then.

Also, since the concept of EV charging we have managed to fit 17455 charging points in the whole of the UK. We only need 10 million more to service the charging needs of 30% of UK vehicles.

"National Grid show that there is a very small increase in infrastructure required", really, do you actually believe this government sponsored garbage.