Ten years to go until electric...

[SumpMagnet]

BTW is it predicted that the costs of charging an EV will soon be noticeable higher then filling a tank with conventional fuel...

That's what they call supply and demand....and for every electric vehicle evangelist, there will be a Civil Servant with a calculator working out how the fuel duty tax will be levied, how the vehicle taxation will need to be re-written, and how...once you can't buy a fossil fuel powered vehicle....they can squeeze you for revenue.

Right now it's easy. Look at the polluter over there....charge him money. He chooses to pollute, so he can pay

But, don't for one minute think the Government can allow car revenues to vanish. They will find a way.

Have already seen an aborted attempt by the Government to massively increase congestion and ULEZ zones in London. Not for 'green' reasons, but simply because TFL can't pay it's bills with so many people working from home. They had to back down, of course, when Boris Johnson realised that a huge slice of voters would now have to pay to go ANYWHERE in there cars, whilst in the same move...removing free travel for pensioners and children. To subsidise a bus network nobody was using.

Makes me wonder if the high cost of electric vehicles is entirely accidental. I am very familiar with high voltage high current motors and brushless speed controllers. One of my other hobbies is RC cars....and the noise issues with IC engines has made a lot of hobbyists swap to brushless. Lithium polymer cells have been common and relatively cheap for over 10 years, and the cost of 150amp speed controllers has dropped massively. The technology is not complex, and the cheap stuff has got steadily better and better. Why then, when these things are scaled up further, has hte same not happened?  Better ask the Chinese....they make all the RC stuff, and do it well!

[Lobo]

No one would disagree with what you say SumpMagnet.
At the mo part of the roads revenue stream is due the motorist breaking speeding laws / various  other infringements.
Autopilots are imminent, meaning these incomes will disappear as those laws satisfied. They’ll then have to introduce ‘levies’ to compensate, which in a nut-shell are charges  for basically obeying the law.
Hmm.
It’s a no-win.... no-win situation.

[sye]

Pay per mile is on it's way, probably with different rates for EV's and ICE's. Watch this space, I predict some sort of leak next year to judge public opinion.

There is no doubt that we have to change our ways and this is just the start. ICE's and fuel will continue for 100's of years after they cease manufacture. There will be a demand for petrol driven tools of all kinds and these are unlikely to be banned in the near future.

All kinds of energy generation will be required including nuclear. Rolls Royce are delevoping small modular nuclear reactors that are much cheaper to produce and safer than the massive alternatives. They have just been given a bucket load of cash to aid development. https://www.rolls-royce.com/products-and-services/nuclear/small-modular-reactors.aspx#/

Homes will be the next target. Sweden and Denmark can build homes without any fossil fuel heating, so why can't we? The answer is we can but until now we haven't wanted to. The choice is ours, let's hope we make the right decisions.

There are far too many people using resources. The choice is simple, get rid of 50% of people or consume 50% less resources. It's easilly doable if we have the will.

[ST1100]

They’ll then have to introduce ‘levies’ to compensate, which in a nut-shell are charges  for basically obeying the law.

Basically automated as new vehicles are already "integrated" (see: mandatory eCall) into their surveillance network... 

[Bryanj]

For quite a few years the DAF's I drive have lane departure warning(nags you via the radio speakers if you cross a line without indicators on),Electronic  Emergency Braking ( brakes for you if you get too close and slams them on if you get VERY close but there are 6 bridges on motorways that the government admit set the system off and I know of at least another 4 they wont admit to) and predictive cruise control that eases off the throttle as you reach the crest of a hill (F*****g annoying when at 44 Tonne, and auto braking if you go over the cruise set speed, what with no clutch pedal (manual box and clutch computer controlled) its difficult staying awake as a steering wheel attendant,

As to efficiency when I started in 77 it was 6mpg at 32 Ton now I average 9.5 mpg at 44 Tonne with damn near zero NOX on the new stuff(but a silencer costing £6,000) and you run Hoss Piss as an additive

[SumpMagnet]

The considered opinion of my eldest boy (he studied robotics and has a particular interest in self drive cars) is that personal car ownership is really going to become a thing of the past within the next generation. The ever increasing cost of car ownership to cover revenue shortfalls in our Government, pollution controls, fake congestion levies, and so on....when you view it with the development of self drive cars and electric vehicles...well.... I can see what he is getting at.

If cars drive themselves, you just rent one when you need it. The car does the rest, and when it's not being used...it can take itself off to a free charging pad and top up it's batteries.

No congestion, as they are all centrally operated, no speeding, no parking issues. Larger mass transit units for peak commuting...and you just click on an app...tell it where you are...where you want to go...and pay for the trip.

Take the expense of a driver out of the system, and you make it a LOT cheaper, it never gets tired and can work all day and all night without a break...like an unlicensed mini cab operator....but not as likely to crash or rob you.

[Green1]

Renting a car is all well and good but I have two vans kitted out for work and drive the one that suits my days work best on a given day.
So car share is out of the question. How would a driverless car drive into a feild that doesn't have a postcode or address?

Calling a car or driver on an App is also out of the question for me. Anyone that knows me has seen my flip phone.
You would have a shock if you saw the laptop I'm using its about 15years old not all the keys do what there supposed too and the screen is held up with molegrips. 

 

[K2-K6]

https://youtu.be/x4fdUx6d4QM

 

[Nurse Julie]

https://youtu.be/x4fdUx6d4QM

 

😂😂😂😂😂

[Green1]

I'm quite capable of doing that without a computer controled car.

[royhall]

None of this will happen by 2030 complete bull. This is Britain that can't even build a railway line, last time I looked railways were invented hundreds of years ago but we can't manage it. Design and build nuclear reactors in less than a decade, get real, planning consent will take longer than that. 2040 will be the soonest we can manage it and that's the date given originally after consultation. Just Boris trying to be clever, I will be happy if we get into next year without a disaster with the EU.

[Johnny4428]

Yes Bryan, there has been a couple of freights recently with that braking system on Merc units that came to Orkney to the company I drive for. I think the CPC qualification could do a lot better to cover the basics of these new electronic systems instead of some of the p....s that we had to endure. I repeated the exact same module that I had done the previous day just to get hours in last year. The only day I thought was beneficial was the first aid refresher course.

[ST1100]

If cars drive themselves, you just rent one when you need it. The car does the rest, and when it's not being used...it can take itself off to a free charging pad and top up it's batteries.

Right... I drive a service van, aprox 1.5 tons of stuff inside...
How should this work in your theory?
I "call" a rental via app, spend over one hour loading all my $h!t into it, get to the site, unload all onto the sidewalk...