Posts by Peter Johnston

Govt powers up electric cars with £5k subsidy

Killing the environment

Electricity is not a power source - only a means of transporting it. Losses mean 4 times as much energy has to be used as reaches the socket so it is highly environmentally unfriendly, especially as most of our electricity is from fossil fuels.

80% of the environmental damage done in a car's life is in making it, not using it. Batteries don't last as long as cars currently do (16 years av) and paying £3k for new ones in a car which by then is worth under £1k is economic nonsense so cars will be scrapped earlier, increasing the environmental damage.

Batteries are extremely nasty to the environment with the heavy metals being horrendously damaging to extract and they are not recyclable. They also put us in the hands of unstable regimes with 90% of the world's lithium coming from Bolivia, for example. The additional weight and the acids in wet batteries makes them dangerous in accidents too.

Oh Gordon - why don't you read the research?

Merseyside plant to punch out Chevy Volt

The real bottleneck

Power stations may be more efficient but the National Grid isn't - only a quarter of the power generated reaches the user. More importantly is that batteries are a bigger threat to the planet - lots of heavy metals, not easily recyclable, very heavy and if wet, dangerous in an accident. More efficient batteries rely on lithium which only comes from Bolivia. Worst of all, though is that 80% of the environmental harm done by cars is in making them. Batteries have a life of ten years and to replace those on a Prius (and probably a Volt) is over £3k - who is going to do that on a ten year old car worth under £1k. Result - more cars made, more environmental damage. Duh!

The Electric Car Conspiracy ... that never was

It's all about TCO

Amid all the talk of emissions an inconvenient truth is forgotten - that 80% of the energy a car uses in its life is used in making it. When this is taken into account the Hummer is greener than the Prius. Prius batteries are guaranteed for 10 years and cost upwards of £3k - way in excess of the average value of a ten year old car. Thus when Prius batteries die the car will be thrown away - well before the average UK car life of 16 years.

Electricity and hydrogen are not power sources - both are made from fossil fuels in power stations or generating plants. Conversion is around 25% efficient so 4 times more fossil fuel must be burnt for an electric or hydrogen car than a petrol one. Batteries use rare elements and heavy metals which are environmentally expensive and damaging to extract and cause a disposal/recycling problem. Their weight makes a vehicle less dynamically efficient further compounding the problem.

The result: electricity and hydrogen stand up as a way of moving pollution out of cities like Los Angeles but not as a way of saving the planet.

Apple Macs

Better idea

I have a better idea - don't buy a Mac at all. I speak from experience - I bought two and both broke after 12 months just outside warranty and I couldn't buy replacement parts but had to take them to Apple who wanted to charge more than they were worth. On the money you save you could buy a good computer and all the rest of your christmas presents.

Running queries on the HMRC database fiasco

In the hands of criminals

HMRC states the data hasn't fallen into the hands of criminals. Yet they admit it has gone to KPMG. Any Private Eye or Register reader knows what that means. At least they haven't admitted that EDS has got hold of it - yet!

Toyota ponders plug-in hybrids

Everyone forgotten TCO?

Nice to see someone realising that electric and hydrogen power isn't power at all - just a way of moving power from power station to vehicle - and with usually 75% or greater losses along the way. Add in the fact that batteries are one of the most polluting things on the planet to make - and don't last that long (as anyone with a mobile phone will be aware). Batteries for a Prius cost upwards of £3k ($6k) and are guaranteed for 10 years - can you see people looking to buy an 8 year old Prius with that expense round the corner. When you consider that 80% of the environmental damage done in a car's life is done in making it, not using it - halving the life expectancy of a vehicle (av 16 years currently) is not a terribly green idea!

Man wrongly detained for 50 days has ISP to thank

Wusses

When we get a mistaken ID, we don't just lock them up - we shoot them in the head. Send Blair (either one) to show them how to do it!

Orange strong-arming ex-customers for imagined debts

Virgin Mobile aren't nice either

I bought a phone from Carphone Warehouse on a £2.99 for 1st year deal. Seems that Carphone are supposed to send me a cheque every month while Virgin bill me full whack. Problem is they don't and Virgin cut up rough when I stopped the DD after I'd paid the full amount I signed up for. Virgin says it's nothing to do with them but the debt collection agents claim to be working for them and Carphone. End result they both skate out of it and I'm shafted.