New goverment car tax rules from April 2017. Your thoughts?

almillar

between 30 and 35 percent.

Less energy efficient than a diesel engine.

Not sure where you get your figures from, and I admit I'm not sure myself, but all follil fuelled 'power plants' (a power station, or an engine under your bonnet) are, let's say, below 50%.

And how many people using electric cars are going to be charging them from solar panels?

I don't know. Do you? I see plenty of solar panels around. I'd also say there's a good crossover of people with solar panels, and people with electric cars.

In the last 40 years, I've spent less than two living in a property where I would be able to charge an electric car or plug in hybrid.

Is your sample of 1 representative? There are stacks of people who can't charge at home - apartments, on-street parking etc., but why ignore the rest who can? Unduly negative.

city dwellers with short commutes

Is 30 miles a short commute? If you're prepared to charge at home every night, in winter, the current EVs can do this all year round. That means not just city dwellers.

Nick_C

almillar wrote: »

Is 30 miles a short commute?

Damn right it is!

Gloomendoom

almillar wrote: »

If people charge their cars overnight, that's off-peak. If they don't have to switch on/off powerplants, and make our national demand less 'peaky' it's beneficial.

Unfortunately, the current domestic electricity distribution network was designed years ago for an average load of 1.5kW per household with a small contingency. The odd electric car charging overnight here and there isn't a problem, but a whole street full drawing 3 to 9kW each certainly will be.

Former_MSE_Andrea

Thanks for flagging this up gilberto.

The changes were announced in the Summer 2015 Budget:

Summer Budget 2015: 'Road tax' rates to change for new car owners

Tothepoint.

MSE_Andrea wrote: »

Thanks for flagging this up gilberto.

The changes were announced in the Summer 2015 Budget:

Summer Budget 2015: 'Road tax' rates to change for new car owners

Mod team thank an alter ego.

Darkmatter must have joined the lodge. :rotfl:

almillar

Damn right it is!

I'm sure plenty of people drive further. How many people do we see on here that have been mis-sold diesel cars and have blocked DPFs as a result? They're not commuting 30 miles!

The odd electric car charging overnight here and there isn't a problem, but a whole street full drawing 3 to 9kW each certainly will be.

We're a long way from that, of course, and 'smart charging' (grid-wide load balancing) should be along before that.

dannyrst

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Unfortunately, the current domestic electricity distribution network was designed years ago for an average load of 1.5kW per household with a small contingency. The odd electric car charging overnight here and there isn't a problem, but a whole street full drawing 3 to 9kW each certainly will be.

You've fallen into the terrible capacity argument that just doesn't make sense. You're assuming everyone needs to charge their car all the time at the same time.

The average length of journey in the UK in 2013 (if someone can find more up to date figures, please update) is 7.1 miles. Let's be conservative and say the range of electric cars will be 300 miles by the time they are adopted by a majority of consumers. That gives you 42 trips between full and empty. 42 trips is likely to be well over a weeks worth of driving. So on average, people only need to charge once a week.

However, you're also assuming everyone is charging at the same time. Workplaces, supermarkets, public places are all installing electric car charging points so people charge through the day, not just when they get home from work.

So that street full of people charging their cars at the same time actually doesn't happen at all.

peter_the_piper

What would be the difference between charging when empty and charging overnight when not run down completely?

Stevie_Palimo

Tothepoint. wrote: »

Mod team thank an alter ego.

Darkmatter must have joined the lodge. :rotfl:

Pot, kettle, black here when you joined in late 2016 !!!!!! , How would you know previously banned users unless that is that you are of course another one of them yourself.

Does look to me like an extra way of screwing money out of people.

Car_54

dannyrst wrote: »

The average length of journey in the UK in 2013 (if someone can find more up to date figures, please update) is 7.1 miles. Let's be conservative and say the range of electric cars will be 300 miles by the time they are adopted by a majority of consumers. That gives you 42 trips between full and empty. 42 trips is likely to be well over a weeks worth of driving. So on average, people only need to charge once a week.

And which century do you predict that will happen?