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Environmental effects of EV`s

matt j said:
I don't have a problem with EVs, I do have a bit of a problem with the type of EVs we're getting.

It seems we had a good opportunity starting from scratch to make the cars people actually need and what we've ended up with is mostly a load of over priced tat. They've used the opportunity to bump up the entry into new car ownership across the board, herding people down the never-never route so they aren't concerned about the sticker price as it's "only £500 p/m" !

They could have prioritised efficiency over almost everything else and instead we've ended up with even bigger, even lardier horrible SUV monstrosities that barely do half the range advertised in the real world. Instead of bragging that your family shopper has 600bhp and can do 60 in 2 seconds why not save that for the inevitable sports cars that would come from Porsche etc. Nobody cared before whether their Astra, Focus, or even 318/320d shot off like a stabbed rat, so why would they care now?
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I think that the EV manufacturers missed a trick in not developing small, light urban vehicles and campaigning for tax/congestion charge breaks over big vehicles. Still, what do I know? The marketing depts ought to know what people want to buy. The marketing people aren't idiots, aftef all. Then again, scratch that. I've met marketing people working for food manufacturers.
 
stevec67 said:
I think that the EV manufacturers missed a trick in not developing small, light urban vehicles and campaigning for tax/congestion charge breaks over big vehicles. Still, what do I know? The marketing depts ought to know what people want to buy. The marketing people aren't idiots, aftef all. Then again, scratch that. I've met marketing people working for food manufacturers.
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And yet

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Bananahead said:
I only wish that I could buy an Audi TT with a decent range (350km+) and handling, but battery weight currently makes it difficult.
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Have you driven an ID.3? It handles beautifully. Its hard to imagine why anyone would need anything more EV wise.
 
NeilR said:
The new Smarts are not the Smart cars of old, they are relatively big cars. Microlino might be a better example

Microlino Car —

microlino-car.com microlino-car.com
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I'm not sure they are available in the UK. Never seen one, at least.
G T Audio said:
Have you driven an ID.3? It handles beautifully. Its hard to imagine why anyone would need anything more EV wise.
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I'm sure it works, but it's not exactly pretty. I would have thought that in the modern urban environment there was a call for something that looks good and is fun to be in while you scoot around town. I've seen a few such on the continent, none in the UK.
 
The thing that is missing is a boot that can a) fit stuff in and b) act as a proper crumple zone in a rear impact to keep kids in the back safer.
 
I think the cost of insurance will dictate the future of EV's, that and people deciding with their wallets...
 
The frustrating thing is that the rush to EV's and the 2030/2035 deadline has been driven by people who haven't a clue about anything. I tried to highlight to the transport minister about Hydrogen as an alternative to battery power, referencing Lord Bamford's company JCB, who has developed his own Hydrogen engines and was getting nowhere with the government despite being one of their largest funders. All I got back was a standard letter saying "well we don't know what the emissions output is from a Hydrogen engine yet!" WTF! And that is what you are up against. I don't think I have ever experienced such a bunch of no nothings, and whats worse is they are in charge of one of the greatest countries in the world.
 
stevec67 said:
The same applies to the other current bête noire, the plastic bag. Awful things, until you realise that a paper bag has a bigger carbon footprint (massive water use) and is less durable.
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It's single-use plastics that are the problem (I bought a few sturdy, re-usable plastic carrier bags in my local supermarket). Like the single use non-recyclable coffee cups with plastic lids that lots of morons carry around in the morning here in Oxford...
 
stevec67 said:
Sadly, yes I have. It was horrible. I did patch up an elderly Mondeo with the two commodities in question too, for much longer than I should have. It was still much, much nicer than any Marina.
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My 2nd Marina (I know, I know) was an automatic. It made the manual look good!
 
my first car bought with my own money was a Marina - it had 4 wheels and worked for driving me an my friends around for a couple of years after i passed my test.
 
tuga said:
It's single-use plastics that are the problem (I bought a few sturdy, re-usable plastic carrier bags in my local supermarket). Like the single use non-recyclable coffee cups with plastic lids that lots of morons carry around in the morning here in Oxford...
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Yes, they are a bit of a disaster. However the single use paper cup is a disaster too, because of the water used in its manufacture. It's the single use that's the problem, not the intrinsic item itself. After all, I have some plastic cups that I use for camping and so on, they have lasted for years and will continue to do so. For outdoor use they are arguably a better proposition than glass because if you kick them over in the grass they survive where a glass one wouldn't.
 
stevec67 said:
I'm not sure they are available in the UK. Never seen one, at least.

I'm sure it works, but it's not exactly pretty. I would have thought that in the modern urban environment there was a call for something that looks good and is fun to be in while you scoot around town. I've seen a few such on the continent, none in the UK.
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I wish we had the Japanese Kei cars here. I’d love to see a small car movement, especially small EV, take off over here. We have some of the same pressures on space as Japan, so their solution ought to work here too.
 
stevec67 said:
Blimey. Once is an honest mistake. Twice, well. You decide.
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I was poor! And crawling along the seafront because the kids wanted to see the Blackpool illuminations, until I was literally crying with the pain in my left ankle, weakened my ability to make a rational decision.
 
Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
I wish we had the Japanese Kei cars here. I’d love to see a small car movement, especially small EV, take off over here. We have some of the same pressures on space as Japan, so their solution ought to work here too.
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I think that part of the problem is that we don't have laws that allow young people to drive very small, very light, very modestly powered, vehicles the way that they do on the continent. Also that there are no financial incentives in terms of lighter insurance/tax burden etc. and nor are there any city centre areas where only ultralight vehicles are permitted and everyone else walks, cycles or takes the bus.
In Italy they have these: https://www.tazzari-zero.com/en/2021/11/minimax-the-compact-runner/
A small light car at 14? Yes please, I would have said. A slightly better one at 16, one capable of open road speeds at 18. If it's an open top beach buggy style, get in. That's cool. Similar things apply in France, the VSP (voiture sans permis) which can be driven without a driving licence subject to age, basic training, and insurance requirements. However in the UK anything bigger and faster than a mobility scooter is a motor vehicle, at which point you may as well buy a full size car.
 
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