Newslink December

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£1billion nationwide network of 100
electric forecourts planned over the next
five years (more on page 20).
According to Department for Transport
figures, there were 19,487 public
charging devices available as of
September 30 this year, up seven per
cent on the figure from three months
earlier. More than 1,200 charging
devices for public use were installed in
the UK between July and September.
However, motorists who cannot park
on a drive at home will be concerned
over how they can recharge – though
new products are coming on stream that
suggest alternative charging points could
become more readily available in a few
years (for news on one of these, see
page 36).
Businesses are also being encouraged
to install more charging points in office
car parks, and councils to do the same in
its public car parks, which can also be
used while people are at work or out
shopping. However, those who do not
have access to charging points at home,
or at work, face paying more to charge.
The reaction to the plans from
elsewhere within the atuto world was
decidedly mixed. The Alliance of British
Drivers condemned the plan as flying in
the face of the free market, saying the
charging infrastructure was not close to
being ready.
Nigel Humphries of the ABD
questioned whether enough electric
vehicles will be in production to meet
demand by 2030, suggesting the costs
will be so high that only the ‘wealthy’
will be able to drive. The Government
was, he said, “pursuing the wrong
agenda. If you’ve got to the point that
you need to ban something then that
shows you’ve got no confidence in the
alternative. There’s something Stalinist
about it.”
“Where’s the free market in all of this
that the so-called Conservative Party is
meant to be protecting? It’s also far, far
too early and does not give the motor
industry much time to prepare.”
He added that “the motor industry has
demonstrated that markets are far better
at improving environmental outcomes
than Government mandates: in response
to price signals and customer demand,
the engine technologies of today are far
less polluting and far more efficient than
those of yesteryear.
“Where governments have intervened,
they have often got it wrong; the diesel
scandal being the most notable
example,” Humphries added. “It is hard
to think of a more inefficient and less
liberal approach to reducing carbon
emissions. This is yet another regressive,
anti-motorist policy.”
Nicholas Lyes of the RAC warned that
many motorists would be nervous about
the switch to electric cars, given their
limited driving range, while Honda
Europe’s senior vice-president Ian
Howells said that the ban would “restrict
consumer choice”. “An approach that
relies only on expensive electric cars risks
turning driving into a privilege only
afforded to the wealthy, while pricing
those who most need it out of personal
mobility,” he said.
Mark Littlewood, director of the
‘‘
I’m not sure the UK motor
industry will be able to deliver
enough electric vehicles by
2030 ... it’s a nice vision but
I think there has to be a
concern over whether it is
realisable...
‘‘
Institute of Economic Affairs think-tank,
said the plans “rely on the false
assumption that the state is best placed
to pick winners when it comes to
technology and the future of energy.
“The measures announced largely rely
on heavy-handed prohibitions – such as
the ban on sales of petrol and diesel cars
– rather than price incentives,” he said.
However, David Krajicek, CEO, JATO
Dynamics, pointed out that the
automotive industry has been preparing
to transition into electrics for some time,
and given that “we have seen many
governments in Europe legislate against
diesel cars in recent times, and that
traditional petrol cars emit higher levels
of CO 2
on average, this move by Johnson
should come as little surprise.
“Over the last decade, the focus for all
automotive players has been clear:
actively work to offset the potential
negative economic consequences of
banning vehicles with internal combustion
engines. In fact, the increasing adoption
of alternative fuelled vehicles seen across
Europe is showing manufacturers the
benefits arising from their electrification
strategies.
“This is an ambitious timeline and with
many manufacturers not yet seeing a
a return on their investment, the new
policies will require considerable backing
from the state.”
EVs: Where do
ADIs fit in?
If all new vehicles are electric, what
does that mean for ADIs?
For a start, such bold plans will force
all instructors to ditch the clutch and
gearstick – unless electric vehicles
suddenly stop being automatic-only
transmission, which is unlikely. If you
work for a large francise where new
cars are de rigeur, it is likely you’ll lose
manual fairly quickly, and while a
steady stream of good quality secondhand
non-electrics could be in ready
supply for 10-15 years post ‘E-Day’,
why would pupils willingly sign up to
learn to drive one when they know
they are unlikely to ever put their
gear-changing skills into practice once
they pass their test?
The expense of new electric cars is
also a concern, though it must be
stressed that cost savings are expecting
to bring the price tag of EVs down
sharply in the next five years. Batteries
constitute around 35 per cent of the
cost of a new electric vehicle at
present, but it is anticipated this will
fall to less than 25 per cent by 2025.
That should bring EVs into a price point
similar to their petrol counterparts.
And the good news? Maintenance
and servicing should be cheaper – and
filling up with £6 a gallon petrol to do
35 miles will be a thing of the past.
Think more about £8.50 to charge a
60kWh battery capable to a 200-mile
range; on a 20,000-mile year, that’s a
saving of around £2,500.
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