We have such a competitive new car market, I think the dealerships are dreading BEVs and the effect on there service/maintenance profits.

We have the Nissan Leaf but they're scarce as...

 

At least you only have a 5% customs duty on cars where we have 10% as the standard rate of customs duty ie for Teslas and if we have hard BREXIT then it will be the rate on nearly all imports except Oz or whoever we actually get to do a trade deal with but then Oz is shutting down more of its car production industry.  We have started doing RHD BEVs for London so perhaps we will come to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney one day as we are already in Bordeaux, Indianapolis, Lyon, Paris, Turin. 

Does the U.K. have an energy security problem

http://oilandenergyinvestor.com/2016/12/why-im-paying-close-attention-to-the-looming-uk-blackout/

Does the U.K. have an energy security problem

http://oilandenergyinvestor.com/2016/12/why-im-paying-close-attention-to-the-looming-uk-blackout/

 

Difficult one to answer.  We are linked in to several energy networks on a European level for electricity and natural gas.   

 

But the costs of these have spiked up since BREXIT as the power is paid for in Euros or US Dollars so these sources are costing the UK a lot more money.

 

Some reckon we do not need the new nuclear power station planned, designed by Electricity De France and funded partly by Chinese money.

 

With energy efficiency ever increasing, I see my 1,000 xmas lights are now LED rather than tungsten filament, we can use less and less energy per person though the UK population has grown of course by more than a million due to net immigration in the last 5 years of the other side of the equation.

 

If we had a freak cold weather event it is likely to kill thousands due to the much more marginal infrastructure but the same can be said to heat waves in the summer which has also killed thousands in Northern and Central Europe when we have such freak events.

 

Increasingly wise to plan for self generation (solar panels etc) and storage ie battery banks, to get through such outages.

From what I understand, it seems the systems aren't suited to a transition from a simple base load system to a varied input one.

From what I understand, it seems the systems aren't suited to a transition from a simple base load system to a varied input one.

 

There are plans to add more plants like Dinorwig which is capable of supplying 5 to 10% of the UK power requirement and goes from tickover to almost fall chat (2GW) in about 20 seconds but we could do with some more hydro stations like this and there is plan to add another 300 MWs of this.

 

I expect many houses and works will adopt their own DC storage solutions ie one or more EVs which can hold enough of the days electricity and with combination of smart meters and buying electricity and the very low prices times will be able to supply the building with power during the working day or peaks at breakfast and dinner times.

 

We have 10 EV charging stations at our new Heathrow office and therefore over 200 Kw/hrs of power plus I expect we will use banks of the older batteries in racks also.  Chargers and inverters are usually more than 90% efficient and will save buildings/business very large amounts of money as well as relief the power grid of peaks as well as troughs.  

I imagine Scandinavia has very few cities with any significant air pollution problems to solve?

Some cities are quite polluted during cold and still weather. But most of the year its not really a problem.

Some cities are quite polluted during cold and still weather. But most of the year its not really a problem.

 

As with Beijing now and with the major cities in NE China which have just gone in to drastic pollution measures with only alternative even and odd number plates allowed to travel on alternate days and mandatory shut down on several industrial sites for a 5 day period until the becalmed air ie a static winter high pressure system....

 

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/red-alert-issued-as-beijing-faces-days-of-poor-air-quality/70000290

 

BBC report mentioned PM 2.5 particles as culprit.        

Info on battery lifespan and warranties

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1107864_electric-car-battery-warranties-compared

The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on BBC 4 are doing a series on Fueling the future. They are usually worth watching.and could have something about batteries,

Cannot remember if I shared this BBC prog but it is informative as to the groundswell of cities doing something on diesel pollution are getting the move to EV cars underway .....

 

 

http://bbc.in/2c98YqN

Edited 28 December, 20169 yr by lol-lol

On my travels in Macclesfield town centre this afternoon a headline caught my eye that diesel cars are cheaper to run than battery cars due to the excessive price  for charging batteries. The quicker these Chinese get building this nuclear power station the better.

From the Times:

Crackdown on rip-off charges for electric cars

Diesel vehicles can cost less to run, report finds

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/crackdown-on-rip-off-charges-for-electric-cars-jvsz0vkw2

The news story is on those charging too much for charging and more regulating by the Government of the companies charging the likes of £7.50 for 30 minutes.

 

There are grants for charge points, and providers, and many areas have free charging.

 

EDIT, 

posting while the link was posted.

Edited 28 December, 20169 yr by Offski

The problem as I see it is that at present EV's are expensive and the numbers are relatively low. As the sales of EV's increase the prices will reduce, but will the systems in place for charging cope and what will happen to the price of charging? Add to that how will the government tax EV's to compensate for the loss of tax revenues when diesel and petrol sales fall?

The UK Government which in the next 3 years might leave the EU still has lots to pay due to the UK's pollution..

So it costs what ever way it goes.

They need to get spending to save just paying because they put off spending.

They have been giving out grants & tax breaks for research to manufacturers for long enough now, and for infrastructure, now they have the chance to walk the walk and start hiytting polluters and encourage the use of low emissions.

 

The April 2017 VED changes are going no way towards that though.

This Hybrid kidology of vehicles that can go short distances using only electric but in the real world are still running internal combustion engines more often than not is a pith take.

On my travels in Macclesfield town centre this afternoon a headline caught my eye that diesel cars are cheaper to run than battery cars due to the excessive price  for charging batteries. The quicker these Chinese get building this nuclear power station the better.

 

Not sure how that is so as it costs 2 to 3 pence per mile for electric vehicles to charge them up whilst a diesel car will cost around 10p a mile to fuel.

 

Flat rate for internal combustion engine cars is 25p a mile where it is deemed there is no profit element ie add servicing costs etc.  EV servicing costs are £100 or less per annual service where IC car services are on average twice that in my experience.  

 

Depending on whether one buys the battery pack or rent it like you can on a Zoe ie and then get the battery lease.  Through Fleetnews it looks like about 30p a mile to run but then when I visit my work offices I would get the charge for free and we have 10 charging points at our Heathrow office.

http://www.fleetnews.co.uk/costs/car-running-costs/compare-list/7887866,7863709

Not sure how that is so as it costs 2 to 3 pence per mile for electric vehicles to charge them up whilst a diesel car will cost around 10p a mile to fuel.

 

Flat rate for internal combustion engine cars is 25p a mile where it is deemed there is no profit element ie add servicing costs etc.  EV servicing costs are £100 or less per annual service where IC car services are on average twice that in my experience.  

 

Depending on whether one buys the battery pack or rent it like you can on a Zoe ie and then get the battery lease.  Through Fleetnews it looks like about 30p a mile to run but then when I visit my work offices I would get the charge for free and we have 10 charging points at our Heathrow office.

http://www.fleetnews.co.uk/costs/car-running-costs/compare-list/7887866,7863709

Para 1 - Presumes that you obtain electricity at cost.

Para 2 - You're comparing oranges with chalk.

Para 3- If you get to charge an EV for "free" at work, then that is a benefit in kind for tax purposes.

The problem as I see it is that at present EV's are expensive and the numbers are relatively low. As the sales of EV's increase the prices will reduce, but will the systems in place for charging cope and what will happen to the price of charging? Add to that how will the government tax EV's to compensate for the loss of tax revenues when diesel and petrol sales fall?

I can't imagine a large fast food franchise that won't eventually cater for the BEV customers in order to stay in business............the private sector is brutally competitive

Para 1 - Presumes that you obtain electricity at cost.

Para 2 - You're comparing oranges with chalk.

Para 3- If you get to charge an EV for "free" at work, then that is a benefit in kind for tax purposes.

3/

If the government is desperate and doesn't understand the concept of an EBA.

3/

If the government is desperate and doesn't understand the concept of an EBA.

I have no idea what an EBA is, nor would I expect an Australian to know UK tax law.

If all cars in the UK were battery, how many kilowatts would it take out of the national grid?

I have no idea what an EBA is, nor would I expect an Australian to know UK tax law.

Don't you have unions that sign up to an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement..........a negotiated trade-off of wages/work practices for benefits in kind?.

If all cars in the UK were battery, how many kilowatts would it take out of the national grid?

It would be mostly off-peak making generation more efficient I would expect

Trump has a serious challenger

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/26/us/california-climate-change-jerry-brown-donald-trump.html?_r=0

From the Times: Crackdown on rip-off charges for electric cars

Diesel vehicles can cost less to run, report finds

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/crackdown-on-rip-off-charges-for-electric-cars-jvsz0vkw2

There's then the huge carbon footprint of building one compared to a standard car.

About as green as chopping down the rainforest