> Used cars, which were on the road before April 2017 and produce low levels of carbon dioxide emissions (the limit is 100g/km CO2 or less), continue to be taxed under the old system and retain their tax-free status, whether powered by petrol, diesel or electricity.
The UK is making sensible small steps. That quoted rule has ended and now only electric cars are exempt from that tax. We’ve had high fuel taxes for a while, though frozen lately for poor reasons, rather than the planned increases.
> Smells like "I am the good guy" political agenda
Looks like the only realistic plan. All the “fully electric by 2035” plans that hardcore environmentalists love to pass have zero chance of going into effect.
> 2035 is fifteen years from now, and good EVs are competative with ICE vehicles right now. I don’t see how that’s unrealistic
Irrelevant. Fifteen years is almost a political generation. Punting pain ensures a punt. It gives cover for doing nothing during the timeline. And when expiry nears, what is the harm of another decade,
A slow phase-in spreads the heartburn to a palatable level. One slow-burn strategy is a creeping mileage requirement. Another is hybrids as a Trojan horse.
TL; DR I bet I could win an election in any blue-collar district running against implementing an ICE ban in 2035.
What infrastructure is missing? People's homes have electricity. And the longest road trip you can do in the Outer Hebrides (Rodel to Ness) is 80 miles, so there's no obvious need for mid-way charging stations.
Install charging in every apartment parking space. Mandate it. Fund it. It will save the country trillions from lost GDP due to climate change, if GDP is what they care about.
Yep. Smells like "I am the good guy" political agenda. Environmental bills that accomplish very little. Go all-in on electric for real change.
There is absolutely not a chance that the UK could have EV charging infrastructure equivalent to the current network of filling stations in place by 2030. Hybrids can be filled as normal, operate on petrol on motorways and self-charge for use in town.
95% of BEV charging happens at home. UK has a national power grid. The big part is already done.
The number of super chargers you need in public places per car is pretty low. Can’t imagine with 100% saturation you would even need 10% of the gas station population to serve the country.
Presently happens at home - for those with off-street parking. Plugging in and charging overnight makes a lot of sense for those that a) do have that and b) don't do long enough trips to need to charge elsewhere. But that leaves out an awful lot of people. And EV ranges aren't nearly as long as the manufacturers quote* in any but ideal conditions with a single occupant and no luggage. So filling stations will still be needed and they will all need superchargers.
* Yes neither are ICE's but this isn't a problem for anyone because there are petrol stations everywhere
I'm all in favour but would quite like to know how much spare generating and grid capacity we have, and what the demand will be if all cars go electric. I get the impression we're not building new power stations fast enough but would like to know more.
