The proposed ban on the sale of new petrol/diesel cars in 2030.

[Guy Mayers]

Hopefully they will still supply petrol / diesel for the classics and specialist cars that will be around.

And there's the crux. At some point in the future it will become uneconomic to run a refinery or the price of fuel will rise so much that we can't afford to fill a tank? I guess that time will be somewhere in the mid 2030's? How log does the average car last these days? Guess 8-10 years? As 2030 approaches there'll be fewer and fewer people wanting to "risk" buying a non electric vehicle for fear of only getting a few years out of it.

Anyhoo, I'll be 75 by then and completely doolally. But just in case, I'm planning on digging a big hole in my front garden and then, when nobody is looking, late one night, I'm hijacking the last fuel tanker out of Ellesmere Port. Hopefully it's going to have a nice load of petrol and diesel on board.
Guy

[Stratos Fear]

So Guy - a Viking burial ! very dramatic !

[Longtimefan]

Anyhoo, I'll be 75 by then and completely doolally.
Guy

Speak for yourself, Guy. 2030 is only half way in time than that that has passed since 2000, or only as much again as it has taken to get my Build on the road from first order. I remember millenium night very clearly, and where has that time gone!!!

I'd better start installing a charging plug now!!! and get the Hamster Wheel connected to the Grid.

Robin

[Griff]

At the end of June 2020, there were38.4 million licensed vehicles in Great Britain,
only 6.6% of those vehicles are battery electric. The UK doesn't have the electrical generating capacity to support the energy requirements of 36 million plus vehicles.
So I suspect that hydro carbon fuelled vehicles will be around for a good length of time beyond the mid 2030's

Having said that, if you do bury the petrol tanker Guy, can I pop up with a couple of gerry cans??

[Guy Mayers]

Having said that, if you do bury the petrol tanker Guy, can I pop up with a couple of gerry cans??

Of course you can Griff! no idea how much I'd be charging for it but I'm sure the boys in blue will get a discount! Trouble is...... a gerry can probably won't hold enough fuel to get you back home?

[Normb666]

It's an interesting one, that's for sure. But it's so far off, and so un-thought-out, that no-one will have any details of how it'll work for a good while yet.
Petrol and diesel cars will still be available till 2030, and given how long cars last these days, fuel for them will be around for at least 10-15 years after that to supply those cars. Fuel for classics after that? Yeah, that'll still be available, but who knows at what price. ICE powered kit cars? Well, the UK is very good at exemptions if the argument is put correctly. So also given what the classic industry is worth to the UK, we'll be fine, I reckon.

The proper way to get the population to adopt something new is to make it the better, cheaper, obvious choice. That is, people move over to it because they'd be daft not to. That's why no-one goes to work on a horse any more. Same argument applies for BEVs and that ilk. Right now they're too expensive and limited, and impractical for most people, not least in terms of range and charging. Saying "we'll ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars from the year XXXX" isn't the way to do it... So, if it looks like the UK can't hit that 2030 target, it'll just be extended. Simples. And also, we're hosting the big climate summits next year, aren't we....gotta do something that makes us look like leaders. And then quietly water it down shortly thereafter.

Me? Cynical?? Where'd you get that idea??

[Paul Eustace]

Air pollution will become the biggest reason to move to Battery Electric Vehicles. I have foster children with asthma and car exhaust fumes outside their schools are an awful thing.
I have owned a Tesla Model 3 for just over a year. It's the 3rd fastest accelerating 4 door saloon on the road, only other Tesla's are faster. I always leave home with a full tank - 300 miles of range. Tesla super chargers are everywhere. I drove with my family to Geneva and charged during food and toilet breaks. At no point did we wait for charging to complete. Oh, and it self drives.
It is an expensive car but if I was still working it qualifies for zero BIC taxation. Essentially anyone who continues to buy a mid range company car should really be thinking about a Tesla.
Running costs are 1.2p per mile for electricity, zero road tax, dirt cheap insurance. I intend to keep it forever as it keeps getting better due to over the air updates. Signs are that the batteries will do a million miles!
I have a deposit on a Cybertruck and am trying to convince my wife as to the merits of a Model S Plaid, 200mph, 500+ mile range and less than 2s 0-60 are a must have..... Running the Model 3 as a RoboTaxi might just pay for the Model S.
The world is changing faster than people's imagination.

[LPH_UK]

Paul - genuine question. Does the speed of electric cars, with no noise, or gear changing etc. not feel a bit soulless?

To me driving is about a whole mix of things, sound, changing gear, dealing with torque curves of engines etc. It's not just about outright speed.

[Iowstratos]

Very interesting article.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CUA...&feature=share