Are you preparing to buy an electric car yet?
With the proposed phasing out of fossil fuel powered transport, how much thought have you put into what you will be driving in the run up to the phasing out?
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Patientlywaiting · 46-50, F
I would love to embrace the idea of driving a fully electric car and I fully support clean energy in other ways but at present the infrastructure for charging isn't suitably in place in the UK. Currently it means a lot of work planning a journey to fit in charging, often going miles out of the way. Also because the cars are all automatic, it creates extra wear on tyres because you brake more. The government will soon introduce road fund tax to electric car users so it's also not as attractive to go electric as it used to be.
ninalanyon · 61-69, T
@Patientlywaiting [quote]because the cars are all automatic, it creates extra wear on tyres because you brake more.[/quote]
How did you come to that strange conclusion?
Anyway, you don't brake more if by that you mean putting your foot on the brake pedal. In most EVs you use the actual brakes less because the car has regenerative braking; when you lift your foot off the accelerator the motor slows the car down by dumping the energy back into the battery.
This means that EVs generate less brake dust than ICE cars.
How did you come to that strange conclusion?
Anyway, you don't brake more if by that you mean putting your foot on the brake pedal. In most EVs you use the actual brakes less because the car has regenerative braking; when you lift your foot off the accelerator the motor slows the car down by dumping the energy back into the battery.
This means that EVs generate less brake dust than ICE cars.
LordShadowfire · 100+, M
@Patientlywaiting Also, if you're worried about the infrastructure not being ready for another EV, there are plenty of companies willing to give you a good deal on solar panels.
Patientlywaiting · 46-50, F
@LordShadowfire we already have solar panels. 😊
Patientlywaiting · 46-50, F
@ninalanyon searching online I find reports of both which is very confusing! If you're going down hill, taking your foot off the accelerator won't be enough and you can't manually go down the gears to slow the car down so braking it is 🤷♀️
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@Patientlywaiting Road Fund Tax... I've not read about that but I thought a few years ago that it would be inevitable eventually, to compensate for reducing revenue from combustion fuels.
Some while ago a friend who owns an electric car told me if you have a charger properly installed at home it has to have its own meter, separate from that feeding the rest of the home. I wondered, "Now why might that be?"
(Obviously if you use a charger run from a normal 13 socket, the cost is absorbed in your overall domestic electricity consumption and bills.)
Some while ago a friend who owns an electric car told me if you have a charger properly installed at home it has to have its own meter, separate from that feeding the rest of the home. I wondered, "Now why might that be?"
(Obviously if you use a charger run from a normal 13 socket, the cost is absorbed in your overall domestic electricity consumption and bills.)
Patientlywaiting · 46-50, F
@ArishMell yeah I think it's going to be changing in 2025.
hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M
@Patientlywaiting A properly built electric motor can also be an electric generator. Thus the 'regenerative braking on electric cars. When you step on the brakes the motor becomes a generator and acts as a brake to slow and stop the car. It is a neat idea and a good way to conserve energy. Sadly the battery technology is not up to the standards of an ICE vehicle. Recharge takes too long and the range is too limited for most drivers. Then there is cold weather limitations that have severe implications where I live. Not only does the cold severely limit the range the limited range makes it all the more imperative that you don't use things like the cabin heater as the heater takes a lot of electricity to operate. All that is completely beside the fact that for many people running an EV is actually running a coal powered car since the electricity is generated by burning coal.
ninalanyon · 61-69, T
@Patientlywaiting Some cars have adjustable regeneration rates. Some are designed specifically for one pedal driving like Teslas. If the hill is very steep then my Tesla S might need a little braking assistance but not often and not much.
ninalanyon · 61-69, T
@ArishMell @Patientlywaiting The Vegvesen in Norway (Roads Authority) has already published several variations on the theme of road pricing and annual fees to replace the equivalent of Road Fund income. It seems that neither country has anyone with imagination or common sense in government or the civil service, they just want to replace one regressive tax system with one that will be equally regressive or worse.
The logical solution, in my opinion, is to declare that access to the roads is a right and not a privilege to be paid for. Then the roads should be funded from general taxation. This avoids loading the costs on the poorest segment of the road using public as well as removing a substantial amount of bureaucracy.
The logical solution, in my opinion, is to declare that access to the roads is a right and not a privilege to be paid for. Then the roads should be funded from general taxation. This avoids loading the costs on the poorest segment of the road using public as well as removing a substantial amount of bureaucracy.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@ninalanyon The UK roads already are funded from general taxes revenue.
The supposed Road Fund Tax just goes to the Treasury along with every other revenues - including the compound tax on fuels: [VAT on (Retail + Duty)] and the equivalent on all insurance premiums.
I think the difficulty is not how the money is collected and allocated so much as governments of all flavours seemingly unable to address simple, practical problems with simple, practical answers.
In essence we already have "road pricing" by the taxes on fuel, so the further you drive or the thirstier your car, the more you pay; but politicians and Treasuries seem unable to see that!
The supposed Road Fund Tax just goes to the Treasury along with every other revenues - including the compound tax on fuels: [VAT on (Retail + Duty)] and the equivalent on all insurance premiums.
I think the difficulty is not how the money is collected and allocated so much as governments of all flavours seemingly unable to address simple, practical problems with simple, practical answers.
In essence we already have "road pricing" by the taxes on fuel, so the further you drive or the thirstier your car, the more you pay; but politicians and Treasuries seem unable to see that!