Ban on new petrol/diesel cars by 2030 - AIBU to be excited?

[almostautumn]

The government are set to announce a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. As someone who lives in a polluted city (London) and worries about the effect that carbon emissions are having on my family’s health, I’m so excited by this news because I think it will really change our children’s lives for the better. And it’s fantastic that it’s only 10 years away!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54981425

I hope there will be suitable affordable cars for people like us ( with disabled teenager who we have to carry lots of equipment often including 2 wheelchairs for) because when we bought recently there wasn't.

@Plumedenom

i reckon you are right *@Duckduckduck123*, but undoubtedly that problem won't be resolved until their hand is forced by the sheer number of people needing to charge their cars. the solutions to those kinds of problems always come after the change unfortunately.

Hence why I will be buying a brand new car in 2029 - hopefully that should last long enough for the inevitable shit show to be sorted

There are no public charge points near me or near any of my clients so my only option would be to charge at home.

But the infrastructure will be built now the ban is coming. There aren't many charging points near you at the moment because there's no demand for them. I think things are going to look very different in ten years time.

@Duckduckduck123

I do also wonder how the national grid will cope when we all get home at 5.30 (obvs. generalisation) and put the cars on charge and put the kettle on...

The cars have charging timers. You can also get charging units that have timers. I set mine to charge overnight to be ready to go when I leave for work the next morning.

[quote AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii]@Judashascomeintosomemoney just prices that Kia mentioned up thread as I need a biggish family car either boot room for my nursing stuff. Starts at £36,000!! No way could I afford that[/quote]
It’s totally unrealistic.

I’ve just last week bought a new car. I got a Skoda octavia estate as I need the space in the back for 2 car seats plus older child and the boot space for buggy and dogs.

It was 6 months old, 5000 miles on the clock so pretty new. It cost me £16,000.

My husband and I both earn well. However I can’t afford to spunk the best part of £40k on a car.

So... I am a bit bemused by banning new cars. What happens when all the old cars break?

They aren't banning all new cars, just petrol/diesel ones.

I'm laughing at the perceived usefulness of an 80 mile range. Round here that won't get you to the nearest town and back.

@AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii

I have 3 DC one in a car seat and a husband no way a Nissan Leaf is big enough.

I have two Dteenagers (5ft 5in+) and a DW with a wheelchair. We can all get in a Nissan Leaf.

My concern with electric cars is they're often most suited to trips that shouldn't really be done in a car at all, e.g. sub 3 miles.

I don't drive everyday, but the trips I do do tend to be beyond the range of affordable electric cars.

There is some infrastructure in our nearest town now but it would no way meet the level of demand if everyone was electric, e.g. 2 charging spaces in a 120 space car park.

I have two Dteenagers (5ft 5in+) and a DW with a wheelchair. We can all get in a Nissan Leaf.

Any of these people in car seats? No? Thought not.

The biggest thing that would benefit me as a Londoner - in terms of reducing pollution - would be an extensive network of safe, dedicated cycle lanes on all major roads. This would require a massive infrastructure change and would impact car traffic hugely- but if we're going to spend the money on green infrastructure, let it be this.

Obviously, expanding and improving public transport, making sure that it is affordable for all - not everyone can cycle or even walk very far.

I support the move to electric cars, but it is essentially just propping up a polluting industry (car manufacture) of limited use to most Londoners. Nearly half of London households don't even own a car, and lots of us who do could use other forms of transport in the city, or use the car mainly for trips out of London.

40% of homes don’t have off-road parking.

How will they charge their cars?

@BlindedByTheWork

40% of homes don’t have off-road parking.

How will they charge their cars?

So far the only suggestion to this seems to be streetlights. Which we all know are plentiful, and have enough power to charge multiple cars. 😂

DH knows a lot about batteries, I’ll be vague, he says the chemicals that go into them are horrendous. He said he would never own one.

@Sewsosew really, never own one? I won’t come knocking on your door when I need some more AAs for the TV remote then.

I’d just like to clarify, I’m not anti environmental progress.

I’m anti green washing bullshit nonsense.

What about people who live rurally, don't have a private drive or garage and don't have a lamppost near by ( if that's the charging solution)??

It's virtually impossible for me to get to work on public transport and I can't see how they will improve that. It's 35mins by car but over 2 hours on public transport and is ridiculously expensive as I cross a county border.

@Duckduckduck123

As someone who lives in the Highlands and Islands, this ban really worries me. We've regular road closures resulting in 60 mile detours on roads that then get shut due to flooding and accidents from all the extra traffic. Even with the best will on the world, they can't be enough charging points built alongside the big motorways to stop you having a hours wait for a 20 minute 80% charge

It's only a ban on new petrol and diesel cars, so you could buy an almost new one which should easily last you 10 years.

I don't think hybrid cars are in the ban anyway, so when you come to replace your petrol car in 2040 (see above), you can buy a hybrid if range is a concern for you.

I have two Dteenagers (5ft 5in+) and a DW with a wheelchair. We can all get in a Nissan Leaf.

Are you all small in stature and build? Technically 4 grown adults can sit in my car too. Uncomfortably.

I think it’s ridiculous, because most of the pollution comes from lorries and vans.

I will eat my hat if it happens

Let’s reconvene in 10 years, @notheragain41

@Moonlightandstardust

We have recently switched to a model x Tesla, anyone who thinks it won’t happen needs to go drive a Tesla.

300+ miles range, 30 min super charger wait time if you need it which is made easy by stopping for a coffee. If you don’t want to leave your car you can watch an abundance of entertainment options in the car, with the worlds biggest screen. The car is beyond any tech currently out there. Drives itself reliably on big main roads, America is working on full self drive but not sure we will get it here for a while due to our complicated roundabouts.

But I diverge, the main point is using it doesn’t compromise on anything but expense in buying the thing at the first point.

Yes, most people can afford an £80k Tesla....

I live just outside London and even here there aren't many public charging points. I can think of 1 or 2 within about 5 miles of here. My employers have one in the staff car park but I don't have a parking permit for there (there's a 15+ year waiting list so not holding out much hope on that one!) so that wouldn't assist. Plus it's one point in a car park of 100 or so cars...

I honestly don't think the infrastructure exists for this, or can be put in place within 20 years, let alone 10.

As to 30-40k not being a lot to spend on a car (!) well a) for most people that's a years salary and b) even though I could in theory afford to spend that amount, why would I on something which is a depreciating asset? My current car cost 1k, my previous one even less.

@FuzzyPuffling

I'm laughing at the perceived usefulness of an 80 mile range. Round here that won't get you to the nearest town and back.

That could be where hydrogen cars are needed for long distance (although ranges of EVs increasing rapidly) and quick fill ups.

Love the idea.

The reality, not so much.

Live in a terraced house, can't charge at home, don't take car to work and don't do a big weekly shop, so no charging at work or the supermarket. This situation is unlikely to change.
Car is used for specialist shopping journeys (bulky loads, outlets away from bus routes), long trips and camping, so need a large estate and a long range. This is unlikely to change either.

Range, charging, lack of suitable models, cost, are all major problems,

I love that people are still touting the 'carbon output is the same over the life of the vehicle' trope.

No, it isnt.

Based on UK energy mix 8,000mi per annum, an average BEV (350w/mi) uses 80% of the carbon per mile as a similar diesel car over its lifetime.

That figure gets even lower the more miles you do, as quite rightly pointed out, but often overstated, the carbon output is concentrated in the manufacture. And the figure gets even better the more energy is produced from renewables.

If you look at the figures for a tesla model 3, which is currently the most efficient BEV, it can get to 220w/mi energy use which with a decent annual mileage can bring it to 20% of the carbon output.

The battery lifespan problems are also overstated, Tesla again warranty all of their batteries to maintain 70% of their capacity for 150,000 miles, at which point they get converted into powerwalls for renewable energy storage.