Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

silverwhistle

I had a brief look at the article: at the end it mentions that at the moment they charge based on time due to current French regulations but longer term they want to charge per kWh based on charge rate. What are the current regulations which require time based charging? Having had a nose around planning a few fantasy trips in France it seems the cost can be extortionate depending on your vehicle's charging capabilities.

EVandPV

UK Government To Spend £20 Million Funding 'Electric Vehicle Innovations'

https://insideevs.com/news/493701/uk-government-to-spend-20-million-funding-electric-vehicle-innovations/

JKenH

Government cuts electric car grant from £3000 to £2500 

Electric cars costing more than £35,000 will now no longer be eligible for the incentive

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry-news/government-cuts-electric-car-grant-%C2%A33000-%C2%A32500

Petriix

If they're going to cut the grant, surely now's the time to add an equivalent surcharge on all ICEVs? Start it at £500 then bring it up every time the EV grant is reduced.

silverwhistle

Petriix said:

If they're going to cut the grant, surely now's the time to add an equivalent surcharge on all ICEVs? Start it at £500 then bring it up every time the EV grant is reduced.

.. or even stop the freeze on the fuel escalator which means the relative cost of fuel goes down, and also weakens the mechanism for lowering unessential local mileage.

JKenH

Which electric cars no longer qualify for a grant in the UK?

If you’re quick you can still get a discount equivalent to the £2500 grant off a Tesla. Should be good for Q1 delivery numbers. 

Tesla is currently offering to take the £2500 plug-in car grant value off the list price of a Standard Range Plus or Long Range for customers buying from existing inventory. The offer is valid until the end of March.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/electric-cars/which-electric-cars-no-longer-qualify-grant-uk

Martyn1981

silverwhistle said:

Petriix said:

If they're going to cut the grant, surely now's the time to add an equivalent surcharge on all ICEVs? Start it at £500 then bring it up every time the EV grant is reduced.

.. or even stop the freeze on the fuel escalator which means the relative cost of fuel goes down, and also weakens the mechanism for lowering unessential local mileage.

I find it odd that the fuel escalator has been frozen so long. The Gov could have got away with raising it as oil prices dropped, and genuinely (or not) hidden behind the need to be green and reduce carbon emissions.
Also, any move towards reducing oil consumption will hasten 'peak oil price', which we may be close to now as production, especially from dirty unconventional sources has risen the last decade or so, whilst demand (or at least the anticipated increase in demand) has fallen, largely from Chinese buses going electric, followed by the slow elctrification of cars.
We could be very close to economically 'destroying' tar sands and shale oil production, which won't end oil, but would at least remove some of the worst, and the associated methane leaks too.

Also, any increase in fuel costs hits higher mileage (and higher emission) drivers harder, which would in turn improve the economic argument for a BEV. Missed opportunity perhaps?

JKenH

A 3-word verdict on UK public electric car charging: too bloody complicated

I perceive Mike Rutherford to be too old school to adapt to EVs willingly but the article contains a useful link to a government survey. 

By way of its online consultation, the Government wants to hear yours, too, before 10 April 2021, via smartsurvey.co.uk/s/D5GX5C/

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/opinion/354562/3-word-verdict-uk-public-electric-car-charging-too-bloody-complicated

Ectophile

Martyn1981 said:

silverwhistle said:

Petriix said:

If they're going to cut the grant, surely now's the time to add an equivalent surcharge on all ICEVs? Start it at £500 then bring it up every time the EV grant is reduced.

.. or even stop the freeze on the fuel escalator which means the relative cost of fuel goes down, and also weakens the mechanism for lowering unessential local mileage.

I find it odd that the fuel escalator has been frozen so long. The Gov could have got away with raising it as oil prices dropped, and genuinely (or not) hidden behind the need to be green and reduce carbon emissions.
Also, any move towards reducing oil consumption will hasten 'peak oil price', which we may be close to now as production, especially from dirty unconventional sources has risen the last decade or so, whilst demand (or at least the anticipated increase in demand) has fallen, largely from Chinese buses going electric, followed by the slow elctrification of cars.
We could be very close to economically 'destroying' tar sands and shale oil production, which won't end oil, but would at least remove some of the worst, and the associated methane leaks too.

Also, any increase in fuel costs hits higher mileage (and higher emission) drivers harder, which would in turn improve the economic argument for a BEV. Missed opportunity perhaps?

It would also increase the price of diesel for trucks and vans.  Which would increase the cost of delivering anything anywhere, which would put up the prices of everything in the shops.

Electric vans are still only suitable for fairly short distance work, and electric trucks are as rare as hens' teeth.

JKenH

Ectophile said:

Martyn1981 said:

silverwhistle said:

Petriix said:

If they're going to cut the grant, surely now's the time to add an equivalent surcharge on all ICEVs? Start it at £500 then bring it up every time the EV grant is reduced.

.. or even stop the freeze on the fuel escalator which means the relative cost of fuel goes down, and also weakens the mechanism for lowering unessential local mileage.

I find it odd that the fuel escalator has been frozen so long. The Gov could have got away with raising it as oil prices dropped, and genuinely (or not) hidden behind the need to be green and reduce carbon emissions.
Also, any move towards reducing oil consumption will hasten 'peak oil price', which we may be close to now as production, especially from dirty unconventional sources has risen the last decade or so, whilst demand (or at least the anticipated increase in demand) has fallen, largely from Chinese buses going electric, followed by the slow elctrification of cars.
We could be very close to economically 'destroying' tar sands and shale oil production, which won't end oil, but would at least remove some of the worst, and the associated methane leaks too.

Also, any increase in fuel costs hits higher mileage (and higher emission) drivers harder, which would in turn improve the economic argument for a BEV. Missed opportunity perhaps?

It would also increase the price of diesel for trucks and vans.  Which would increase the cost of delivering anything anywhere, which would put up the prices of everything in the shops.

Electric vans are still only suitable for fairly short distance work, and electric trucks are as rare as hens' teeth.

Electric vans are ideal for short distance work, last mile deliveries etc. 

I just pulled this off another website discussing parcel deliveries.

We have a number of contracts which we are recruiting for.

Trafford Park & Knowsley - Routes are based on a 9 hour day and shipments can vary from 100 - 160 parcels, 70-110 individual stops.

Operating out of our head office, we pay per parcel and these rounds are flexible, the rounds start at around 40-50 parcels 20-30 stops, but there is no upper limit, but it is all driver driven volume, we can allocate one round or three, depending on what you want. We have some drivers doing 3 rounds, 140 parcels and the mileage is no more than 25 miles, from depot to depot.

Electric vans are far better for this type of usage pattern than ICE ones and I expect the growth in electric vans for last mile deliveries will be incredible.