Reply to post: Re: @ Doctor Syntax

Dyson to build electric car that doesn't suck

Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward

Re: @ Doctor Syntax

You only have to look at the progressive increase in battery capacity of the Nissan Leaf to see that the range issue is being addressed. Battery makers know that 140 mile range is crap, so do car makers. In large part that's why established car makers *appear* to have been slow on the uptake. But as chemistry improves, and people work out how to fit more cells into a car body we're seeing that range go up. I'm not sure we'll see such rapid progress on charging speeds, but if you can drive 400+ miles between recharges, then the need for frequent and fast charging should be reduced. If you had to charge your car once every week or ten days, would it matter if that was ten hours of overnight slow charging?

Car makers know that (if government objectives are achieved) the phase out of ICE vehicles will not be slow and steady - at some point the costs move in favour of an EV, and then the market will rapidly abandon ICE technology other than for selected use cases, such as (genuine) off road vehicles. It'll mean a collapse in second hand ICE car values, and a panic amongst many owners to avoid being left with an expensive asset they can't use. Government policy may be less significant here than local actions, like city air quality zones that result in outright prohibitions or draconian road charging policies for ICE vehicles.

I'd agree that government actions look like they don't like personal mobility, excepting when its on their slow, crap public transport toys, but I don't think the Tories will actually set a goal of limiting or reducing car ownership. Corbyn, on the other hand would seem quite likely to make this a policy goal, to support his renationalisation of everything programme.

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon