In 2035 average Joe and Jane will wonder what the whole fuss was about. I confidently predict that the number of fossil fuel pumps across much of the world will be 50% less than today.
As an even older old fart. For 6 years with a Chevy Bolt there has been almost zero maintenance and no need to go find oil and filters every few months and crawl underneath to get covered in toxic engine oil which then has to be disposed of. And all for what equates to about 2p a mile. Instant heat in winter. I’ll never go back. I spend my time overtaking the slow pokes on the freeways here who are all resorting to hypermiling because of the cost.
Just driven 580 miles from Connemara to Lancashire via Larne to Cairnryan. Stopped 3 times to charge, take on food/water& empty bladder- car is fine, didn't miss a beat - but I'm totally cream-crackered!
All sounds wonderful except you don’t seem to be factoring in how the raw materials for batteries are sourced, or the environmental impact of producing them. I’m not suggesting that electric isn’t the future, nor am I wedded to my ICE car in perpetuity, but the infra-structure in the UK is still a long way off enabling electric to be a viable alternative to ICE for anything other than short journeys.
I always factor that in, I have written and talked and made episodes about that very issue, hundreds of times. I never, ever 'conveniently forget' about the impact of mining the materials.
We have entered a new dimension where all the things we make, or eat, have to come from somewhere. Everything human being produce has to be dug up or grown.
We all need to be constantly aware of the impact our choices have, but of course some very clever lobbyists and marketers spend millions every year trying to ensure you look over there, at the mineral extraction business and never, ever dare to ask about where the oil comes from, the impact of it's extraction, transportation, refining, and burning. We only ever acknowledge the very last bit of that massive, global, hyper destructive process.
So yes, where do the materials from batteries come from? Mines, just like the materials in everything you buy. The saucepan in your kitchen, the hinges on your doors, all had to be dug up and refined.
Finally I'm going to quote you directly. You said:
"but the infra-structure in the UK is still a long way off enabling electric to be a viable alternative to ICE for anything other than short journeys."
This is such a 2009 era statement. I don't know where you got that assumption, certainly not from people who drive EVs in 2025.
I drove to southern Italy this summer, 1,692 miles, in an electric car.
The list of anxieties was in this order:
Need to stop for toilet break. Far and away number one challenge.
Need a coffee.
Need some lunch.
Need a nap.
and lastly, oh, yeah, maybe we should change the car.
I am not saying this for any other reason than it was my genuine experience. We spent 2 days on the road to get there, we had a hotel booked in Avignon for one night.
We deliberately arrived at the hotel with 10% charge remaining. We plugged into their free charger overnight, in the morning we were 100%. That's about 280 miles free fuel.
That is the reality, and the cost? It's embarrassing.
£162, charging at various stops, never charging for more than 15 minutes. Seriously, not 9 hours as some say, not 2 hours as many say, 15 minutes gave us enough to get to the next charger.
The cost of driving a very frugal petrol car the same distance, on highways, £350 minimum.
Thank you for your detailed and informed reply, (although I didn’t say ‘conveniently forgot’). I can though sense your irritation with having to rehearse the same arguments that I haven’t read before. It’s encouraging to learn of your positive experience with EVs (as I will eventually own one) though it doesn’t match accounts I’ve heard from other EV owners from which I based my comment. I’m happy to be proven wrong. Happy motoring!
My grandsons are 10, 7 and 3. I suspect the younger 2 will never drive a manual transmission vehicle
In 2035 average Joe and Jane will wonder what the whole fuss was about. I confidently predict that the number of fossil fuel pumps across much of the world will be 50% less than today.
As an even older old fart. For 6 years with a Chevy Bolt there has been almost zero maintenance and no need to go find oil and filters every few months and crawl underneath to get covered in toxic engine oil which then has to be disposed of. And all for what equates to about 2p a mile. Instant heat in winter. I’ll never go back. I spend my time overtaking the slow pokes on the freeways here who are all resorting to hypermiling because of the cost.
Just driven 580 miles from Connemara to Lancashire via Larne to Cairnryan. Stopped 3 times to charge, take on food/water& empty bladder- car is fine, didn't miss a beat - but I'm totally cream-crackered!
All sounds wonderful except you don’t seem to be factoring in how the raw materials for batteries are sourced, or the environmental impact of producing them. I’m not suggesting that electric isn’t the future, nor am I wedded to my ICE car in perpetuity, but the infra-structure in the UK is still a long way off enabling electric to be a viable alternative to ICE for anything other than short journeys.
I always factor that in, I have written and talked and made episodes about that very issue, hundreds of times. I never, ever 'conveniently forget' about the impact of mining the materials.
We have entered a new dimension where all the things we make, or eat, have to come from somewhere. Everything human being produce has to be dug up or grown.
We all need to be constantly aware of the impact our choices have, but of course some very clever lobbyists and marketers spend millions every year trying to ensure you look over there, at the mineral extraction business and never, ever dare to ask about where the oil comes from, the impact of it's extraction, transportation, refining, and burning. We only ever acknowledge the very last bit of that massive, global, hyper destructive process.
So yes, where do the materials from batteries come from? Mines, just like the materials in everything you buy. The saucepan in your kitchen, the hinges on your doors, all had to be dug up and refined.
Finally I'm going to quote you directly. You said:
"but the infra-structure in the UK is still a long way off enabling electric to be a viable alternative to ICE for anything other than short journeys."
This is such a 2009 era statement. I don't know where you got that assumption, certainly not from people who drive EVs in 2025.
I drove to southern Italy this summer, 1,692 miles, in an electric car.
The list of anxieties was in this order:
Need to stop for toilet break. Far and away number one challenge.
Need a coffee.
Need some lunch.
Need a nap.
and lastly, oh, yeah, maybe we should change the car.
I am not saying this for any other reason than it was my genuine experience. We spent 2 days on the road to get there, we had a hotel booked in Avignon for one night.
We deliberately arrived at the hotel with 10% charge remaining. We plugged into their free charger overnight, in the morning we were 100%. That's about 280 miles free fuel.
That is the reality, and the cost? It's embarrassing.
£162, charging at various stops, never charging for more than 15 minutes. Seriously, not 9 hours as some say, not 2 hours as many say, 15 minutes gave us enough to get to the next charger.
The cost of driving a very frugal petrol car the same distance, on highways, £350 minimum.
Long journeys are better in an electric car.
Thank you for your detailed and informed reply, (although I didn’t say ‘conveniently forgot’). I can though sense your irritation with having to rehearse the same arguments that I haven’t read before. It’s encouraging to learn of your positive experience with EVs (as I will eventually own one) though it doesn’t match accounts I’ve heard from other EV owners from which I based my comment. I’m happy to be proven wrong. Happy motoring!