Panic buying of petrol

[Big Insect]

Interesting interview on the Radio 4 late this afternoon about the dangers of electric scooters - some poor woman who got hit by one and suffered horrific injuries.

I nearly ran into one of the blighters going the wrong way up a one way street in the dark, with no lights on. As I swerved to miss it, and beeped my horn, his passenger stuck 2 fingers up at me.
Surely there must be some Darwinian theory about the combination of 'fresher students' (you can tell I live in a city with 2 universities) and electric scooters.
I could have wiped out at least half-a dozen new freshers in the last week - usually mindlessly lost in their headphones, looking intently at their mobile phones, whilst crossing busy road junctions without looking.

[jimduncanuk]

I live in a cul-de-sac (mid-terrace villa) where some houses have their own driveways and some park their cars where they can (like me). There is not enough space for all the cars owned by people who live in the street to park at the same time.

Installing my own electric car charge station would be pointless as I couldn't guarantee being able to park within reach of it unless I converted my front garden into a private driveway. My car would then be right outside my living room window. I don't think the city council would allow that.

Plan B

My youngest daughter lives just 15 minutes up the road and she has a private driveway at the side of her semi-detached house. We could install an electric car charge station there as there is room for two cars. Arranging a time for access would be a doddle.

Now, all I need is an electric car that I can afford and which will allow me to drive 4 hours to York and another 4 hours to Edinburgh the same day without a top up charge. I'll probably die first.

[Steve J]

Radio 4 is running a 3 part (I think) look into the current situation of being able to drive around and charge electric cars. To pick my daughter up from Edinburgh it would not be possible currently, without a significant increase in journey time and assuming I could find a space to charge en route. Then where she lives in a flat with no access to the road, simply impossible to charge.

Where I used to work we did some work for a couple of companies like Ecotricity for charging stations on forecourts. IIRC the cost and time roll out across the whole country was eye watering expensive and time consuming.  Even where we live we'd have to park in the back lane and run a cable from the garage, once we'd had a charging point installed. So at present a completely unviable situation IMHO .

[Raider4]

Until the problem of driving 300 miles --> 10 minute "re-charge" --> drive another 300 miles is solved can't see them being viable.

Always wondered why they don't make the support cars in in road cycling (i.e. Tour de France) electric. Limited (and known) daily mileage, usually < 250km. Would be a great advert for them.

Or the support/camera bikes in road races. Can't be much fun for the runners, breathing in those petrol fumes.

[steve_holmes_11]

Until the problem of driving 300 miles --> 10 minute "re-charge" --> drive another 300 miles is solved can't see them being viable.

Always wondered why they don't make the support cars in in road cycling (i.e. Tour de France) electric. Limited (and known) daily mileage, usually < 250km. Would be a great advert for them.

Or the support/camera bikes in road races. Can't be much fun for the runners, breathing in those petrol fumes.

The team cars are nearly all nearly all Skoda Octavia, which are available in electric.
I wonder whether it's simple inertia (We'll get around to it soon), or the difficulty of locating 120 charging points in some of the start/finish towns

A miniscule start, but the "Derny" (Lead moped used in Keirin races and some endurance time trials) is now electric.

[hammurabi70]

I've bought an electric car.

On the assumption that it is the-real-deal rather than a radio-control car it would be very interesting to know how you view recharging and range.  As already expressed, current models have long recharge times and limited range.  It is a lot of money to invest and one really wants to be sure it will deliver the needed performance.

[Heedless Horseman]

Sometime... even with electric, we are going to HAVE to 'go back' to 19c settlement, transport network along with nationalised utilities...  and integrated Central planning for any 'development' of housing or retail/manufacture.
'Resources' WILL become shorter for increasing population.
Just CANNOT work, otherwise

[sultanbev]

Sometime... even with electric, we are going to HAVE to 'go back' to 19c settlement, transport network along with nationalised utilities...  and integrated Central planning for any 'development' of housing or retail/manufacture.
'Resources' WILL become shorter for increasing population.
Just CANNOT work, otherwise

Anyone wanting more details on this, follow Tim Watkins' blog Consciousness of Sheep:
https://consciousnessofsheep.co.uk/

You'll find it is mathematically impossible to replace all 1.4 billion fossil fuel cars on the planet 1 for 1 with electric ones. Just to do all the UK's cars would take up planetary resources for a few years of certain metals. This is before we even get to the predicament of being able to run them all simultaneously.

[Steve J]

IIRC there is not enough of one of the crucial metals used for batteries to make them just for cars, talk of other uses for batteries.

[Heedless Horseman]

I can 'sort of ' see' 'Horse' coming back. But with the huge population growth since the 40s and much of the grazing/ hay fodder, now 'Housing'...
Oh Well...  I probably won't be around.. so let 'Them' get by...

[flamingpig0]

Anyone wanting more details on this, follow Tim Watkins' blog Consciousness of Sheep:
https://consciousnessofsheep.co.uk/

You'll find it is mathematically impossible to replace all 1.4 billion fossil fuel cars on the planet 1 for 1 with electric ones. Just to do all the UK's cars would take up planetary resources for a few years of certain metals. This is before we even get to the predicament of being able to run them all simultaneously.

Public transport!

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Nowt wrong wit trains - commuyin to Ormskirk termarrw

[Heedless Horseman]

Public transport!

Yes... but need to reactivate all the 19c railway network... and supply power... unless we go back to 'Steam'... 
Have read that Dutch run their rail by  windmill generated elecctric.
For MYSELF.. I Hate the sight of Wind Turbines... but... 

[Orcs]

We need to start by not transporting stuff hundreds of miles, when it can be sourced locally.  Insisting on only selling electric cars in 2030 is ludicrous, when every supermarket is flying in fresh produce from all over the world.

We need to buy local and buy in season produce. It would then be less need to wrap everything in plastic.

Years ag when I used to help out a charity in Norfolk, I went to buy a several boxes of mushrooms for the charity catering from the local farm shop.   The local fam had a sign up saying "Local mushrooms", but they were in a box marked with a London address.  I asked the farmers wife about this, and she said "We have a very good deal that means we have to sell all our crop to a particular wholesaler. They collect the mushrooms and take them to London to be packed in their own boxes. We tell them how many we want back and they send them back on the lorry that comes to collect the next load. We are not allowed under the terms of the contract to sell our own mushrooms direct. "

She agreed it was mad but the price they got meant that they could not afford to do otherwise.

[howayman]

Love it when people shout use public transport
I am a decorator and the bus driver would not be amused when i turn up with a 3m+ ladder, at least 1 pair of steps, 2-3 tins of paint and a tool box at least.
Then ask for a return to some small village in Northumberland.
Its always seemed nice to go to work in the same place at the same times every day for ever!
And i am not alone.
Can electric cars tow?