The end of our world as we know it.
Discussion
lowdrag said:
With Volvo announcing that they will, from 2020, only produce electric cars and France announcing today that cars with engines, be it petrol or diesel, will be banned from 2040, where does that leave us and our collectors' pieces? Discuss.
'Not very worried' is where it leaves me. I've no intention of buying a Volvo and I shall be 93 in 2040 so unlikely to be driving to France. Provided I can afford fuel while I'm still able to drive, I shall carry on enjoying doing so in my collector's piece.lowdrag said:
With Volvo announcing that they will, from 2020, only produce electric cars and France announcing today that cars with engines, be it petrol or diesel, will be banned from 2040
That's not quite what either of them have announced.Volvo say they will only be introducing new cars with electric motors - either full ev or hybrid.
France might, perhaps, maybe ban sales of new non-electric cars in nearly a quarter of a century's time. After another four scheduled presidential elections... If they can do that without it having to be an EU-wide move.
lowdrag said:
With Volvo announcing that they will, from 2020, only produce electric cars and France announcing today that cars with engines, be it petrol or diesel, will be banned from 2040, where does that leave us and our collectors' pieces? Discuss.
I find that a brave statement for Volvo to make considering we're in 2017 now. So in 3 years they will presumably have technology such that you'll have a "tank" mileage similar to petrol and that we'll have charging stations all over the UK ?Motorway service stations, overnight home charging and conversion of current petrol stations to electric I can see happening, but not on a 3 year timescale. I was surprised a couple of years ago when we saw a charging point in one of the Lochgilphead car parks. We didn't actually see it in use but that was a 4 car bay in a car park which could probably take 150-200 cars ? For a tourist location, that's going to need serious investment if we're all electric.
I'm sure it will come about because the political will seems to be behind it, but for Volvo I see a last minute fudge coming along with an "emergency" petrol backup motor.
As for our hobby and places France, well, like the previous poster I'll be too old to worry about that. And if I'm honest I'm not bothered if my classics become worthless in 20 years time because I don't see them as investments. I'll have had 60 years enjoyment (frustration ?) from one & 50 years from the other which seems a good deal to me !
We in the UK are still allowed to drive what we like when and where we like, despite worries about "tax exempt" or "MoT exempt" being the thin edge of a restricted use wedge. However, we users of out of date technology will find (if we haven't already) that driving our old cars on public roads is not the pleasant experience it once was, so we reduce our use of that happy priviledge. "Use it or lose it" is perhaps the appropriate motto!
Mon 1912 Mors still goes, but as its fuel tank is not large I need to refuel after around 100 miles which can be awkward as already there are many fewer roadside filling stations than there were when I got it in 1994.
Not such a problem with the 1938 Lea-Francis which has a larger fuel tank and better fuel consumption but who knows how long I'll be able to drive 150 miles to a rally, do a 100 mile rally and then drive home with only a couple of fuel stops chosen for convenience?
Mon 1912 Mors still goes, but as its fuel tank is not large I need to refuel after around 100 miles which can be awkward as already there are many fewer roadside filling stations than there were when I got it in 1994.
Not such a problem with the 1938 Lea-Francis which has a larger fuel tank and better fuel consumption but who knows how long I'll be able to drive 150 miles to a rally, do a 100 mile rally and then drive home with only a couple of fuel stops chosen for convenience?
b2hbm said:
I find that a brave statement for Volvo to make considering we're in 2017 now. So in 3 years they will presumably have technology such that you'll have a "tank" mileage similar to petrol and that we'll have charging stations all over the UK ?
They already make hybrids of several models. Next generation will all have hybrids, if not before. It's just that they're not going to make the non-hybrid versions...It's been said that we'll have an electric shortage (at least in uk), so moving from fossil fuels to electric for vehicles will only make the situation worse. Don't hybrids or electric cars also use a lot more power during their construction? Anyway, if the majority go to electric cars, will we then see petrol/diesel fuelled power stations to bridge the energy gap? Could be another 'dieselgate'
lowdrag said:
With Volvo announcing that they will, from 2020, only produce electric cars
Not what they said. Most newspaper reporting has been wildly inaccurate. They have said that every new range introduced from that time will have an electric motor somewhere in the drivetrain . There will be some all-electric options but most of their cars will still be primarily fuelled by petrol or diesel in exactly the same way as a Prius or Merc or BMW hybrid.lowdrag said:
and France announcing today that cars with engines, be it petrol or diesel, will be banned from 2040
Also not what they said. They announced an end to the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines. They didn't announce anything about the use of existing cars. Last time I drove in France the average car I saw was pretty old. I don't see that changing in a hurry. Maybe by 2050 or 2060, people who want to use IC cars for everyday transport will start to find it harder to find usable and maintainable examples but I strongly doubt that be a timescale which significantly affects either of us personally. Without getting into who said what and when, my concern is not to do so much with legislation as logistics. There's already been a huge reduction in the number of petrol stations for various reasons – what happens when selling the stuff becomes even less economically viable? It'll be the reverse of the situation electric cars are in at the moment, planning journeys around petrol stations.
A good friend of mine is a bit of a big wheel in the world of autonomous transportation – his expert view is that the benefits of autonomous vehicles are only properly realised when all vehicles are autonomous. This is either very good news or very bad news for us.
A good friend of mine is a bit of a big wheel in the world of autonomous transportation – his expert view is that the benefits of autonomous vehicles are only properly realised when all vehicles are autonomous. This is either very good news or very bad news for us.
Lowtimer said:
Not what they said. Most newspaper reporting has been wildly inaccurate. They have said that every new range introduced from that time will have an electric motor somewhere in the drivetrain . There will be some all-electric options but most of their cars will still be primarily fuelled by petrol or diesel in exactly the same way as a Prius or Merc or BMW hybrid.
Thanks for that, it sort of makes sense now and is not as uber-green as the headlines made me think. Journalists getting it wrong, who'd have thought it ? 
restoman said:
Volvo have been experimenting with Electric for decades - that's why all their 1970s 80s and 90s models were styled along the lines of those little rectangular PP3 batteries . . . .
Very good.
Well, it seems I have started a fuss over nothing, having completely misunderstood what I heard on the TV. Never mind though; I'll be 94 when the day arrives and will be driving where there are no police or radar traps. But - and I'd like to thank you all - it is pleasant to see sanguine replies and not flaming, which, on reflection, this old dodderer perhaps deserved.
My old fork truck engineer owned an old 924 for many years.
He planned to remove the engine and replace it with fork truck batteries, the whole project based on the 924 transaxle which lent itself to the idea.
Like many other good ideas, it never happened and the Porsche was sold for a song.
He planned to remove the engine and replace it with fork truck batteries, the whole project based on the 924 transaxle which lent itself to the idea.
Like many other good ideas, it never happened and the Porsche was sold for a song.
lowdrag said:
With Volvo announcing that they will, from 2020, only produce electric cars and France announcing today that cars with engines, be it petrol or diesel, will be banned from 2040, where does that leave us and our collectors' pieces? Discuss.
Had me worried as I only just read this post and it is now 2127.............thought for a minute that I only got 13 minutes to go for a blast! .
Caddyshack said:
Thinking outside the box, there could be a nice industry converting classics to electric conversion in the future, purists might hate it but a nice 205 gti with some nice leccy conversion might be fun
Some guy in the US has built an electric TR6, can't post the link but it Googles up easily.Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff