Internal combustion engine days are numbered.

[rolando]

BOR said:

At 2 AM, the EVs can take all the energy they need, because no one else is drawing power at that time.

But that's not the case if there's a need to charge at 6.00pm.

[anonymous-user]

I can envisage a time when petrolheads migrate to 'developing' nations to indulge their passions of the internal combustion engine because there's not a hope in hell of any of them, and there are a lot of them, going zero emission/100% electric car any time in next 100 years.

In any case, the car as we currently know it won't be eradicated from UK roads. It's skyfalling nonsense.

[98elise]

ashleyman said:

I live in a block of 48 flats.

I park my car on the road.

How am I going to charge my car when I go to sleep? Run an extension cable out my window and over to my car? Doubt it.

On street chargers (they are already being installed).

[Big GT]

kambites said:

Big GT said:

However what I struggle with is how we all going to be able to charge up...at the same time.

Not really any different than the current situation - there is nowhere near enough refined petrol in circulation at any one time to fill every fuel tank in the country. The system works precisely because people don't all decide to fill their cars from empty to full at exactly the same time. The average car travels about 20 miles a day so will only need recharging 20 miles' worth of electricity every day - about 7kwh. It's significant, certainly, but an order of magnitude less significant than everyone trying to fully charge their cars at once.

To put it another way, if cars are charged over night, each car will be drawing an average of 0.5-1kw while they're plugged in. About the same as when I manage to leave my garage lights on accidentally. We don't have enough overall grid capacity to run every car from it comfortably, but we're not far off as long as they are charged off-peak. If we don't have enough extra off-peak capacity by 2050 to deal with the huge majority of cars being electric, we'll be getting brown-outs at peak times anyway, irrespective of EVs.

Edited by kambites on Friday 28th April 19:56

Wow your Garage uses 1kW of lights, you growing some 'medication'

Good point about demand.

The difference is though we are happy to allow our fuel tanks to run down to near empty as we can fill up any place any time and takes 5 minutes.
With EV you will want to be on 100% battery as much as possible. So we would still charge even if the EV is 70%.I would!

Remember even if you charge a 70% battery, it still demands full power from the grid but for shorter period of time.

[austinsmirk]

We're only charging the ev 2-3 times a week. Even then it might be for 5-6 hrs in the dead of night.

As for being interesting to drive. I live in a rural Yorkshire village. With twisty fast moor roads a mile away that ph'rs would die for. The cars average speed over 1300 miles is just 17 mph. That's the reality of driving. Might have a blast but yr just sat with cagers chugging to work.

Personally it's perfect for my wife and all the family use. I'm happy partially cycling to work and using my diesel car as needed.

It's not the answer but it's a solution to part of a larger transportation problem.

Feasibily we could use public transport along with the peasants but it's far more expensive than driving and in all honesty I've enough of dealing with the great unwashed at work to start sharing journeys with them. I suspect my tolerance of the British public is worsening as I age.

[ashleyman]

98elise said:

ashleyman said:

I live in a block of 48 flats.

I park my car on the road.

How am I going to charge my car when I go to sleep? Run an extension cable out my window and over to my car? Doubt it.

On street chargers (they are already being installed).

My local council can't even organise bin collections. I doubt they'd be able to manage installing high tech EV chargers.

[FourWheelDrift]

On street chargers. Are they able to be locked at the charger and the car end? If not unplugging someone's car during the night will become the new keying.