Hertz’s decision to sell off 30% of its recently acquired EV rental fleet shows that it is hard work renting out an EV. Early  buyers of Teslas to electrify their offering they will now pause  their buying and help push second hand EV prices down. More owners of EV s will lose more money on their purchase.
Many renters worry about range. EV owners are finding repair and insurance costs are high, whilst losses on resale are big. Car manufacturers are throttling back output and wanting more subsidy to go into the battery business.
The UK government should pause its EV subsidies and let the market sort out an EV enough people want to buy or rent.
February 3, 2024
I agree with your post, but it’s not just EVs. If only that were our sole problem! The government is interfering in markets all over the place. A lot of it is due to Net Zero, but much is driven by special interest groups and progressive ideology.
It’s destroying our basic freedoms, and the things that made our country a pleasant one to live in.
February 3, 2024
Volvo is the latest company to be pulling out of subsidising Polestar which had never made a profit and lost 800million dollars last year.
You can take a horse to water………..
February 3, 2024
Out in the farmlands – not yet concreted over, I foresee more interest in using horses, hay why not and the manure is great. Bring the kids to see and maybe ride them for 10 mins – not just alpaca ventures!
February 3, 2024
As a new ‘Dark Age’ is probably coming to the west,that might prove correct.Have you mastered wattle and daub yet?
February 3, 2024
A useful course for the Chinese at Uni?
February 3, 2024
3 electric buses in London caught fire last week. Do not go on a death trap. Another blow to public transport. Enough said.
February 3, 2024
Apparently London councils have just announced that there will be a 1800% hike in parking charges for EVs because of their lifetime emissions and high environmental damage.
If trueâŠ.
What an incentive to buy one!
As always suspected, the real agenda is to stop us travelling in our own vehicles.
Those who might afford to continue to do so will be VERY conspicuous.
February 3, 2024
Indeed they are making a mess of so many markets – housing, banking, universities, heating/heat pumps, schools (VAT from Starmer will make this even more rigged), health care, the legal system, pensions, employment.
The problem is Government can actually force people to buy them and force manufacturers to sell X EVs for every Y ICU cars or X heat pumps for every gas boiler or electricity generators to generate X KWH from so called renewable sources. Or charge different road and parking charges different taxes on fuels to force the issue. Or force Port Talbot⊠to close
The whole agenda is economic, defence, jobs and environmental lunacy. EV cars are worse in CO2 terms anyway and a bit more CO2 is not even a problem anyway. The lunatics are in charge it seems with Starmerâs lunatics to follow.
February 3, 2024
I made the point yesterday about car insurance rising hugely at 25% PA. Another largely rigged market, again this is largely government driven, cars that are made deliberately expensive to fix, newer, more expensive and more complex vehicles due to OTT emissions and safety rulesâŠ
February 3, 2024
EV cars often written of after small shunts or slight flooding due to high costs of battery repairs.
Rowan Atkinson wrote a good article a while back. âOur honeymoon with electric vehicles is over so, for now, my advice is to hang on to your old petrol motorâ. He has a decent electric engineering degree so perhaps he should have had the sense never to even have âthe honeymoonâ. But then he is rich enough not to worry.
Hanging on to your old ICU car saves loads of money, is environmentally better than making a new EV cars and EV car do not even save CO2 overall – not that CO2 is a real concern. Just finance costs and depreciation on a new EV can be over ÂŁ1 a mile, more to insure, cost of chargers, need somewhere to park and charge it at home, almost worthless after 8-10 years, low range, especially in winter, we have now spare low CO2 charging electricity spare, the grid will not cope âŠ
February 5, 2024
He has an ELECTRONIC degree from Queens. Anyone can be an electrician – even me! Electronics is a whole different ballgame.
February 3, 2024
An amusing ‘X’ from Elon Musk yesterday:
“When you hear the names of legislation or anything done by the government,it is worth remembering that the group that sent so many people to the guillotine during the French Revolution was called the ‘Committee for Public Safety’,not the Cut Off Their Heads Committee.”
February 3, 2024
Indeed and here have Ministers for âEnergy Security and Net Zeroâ and for âWomen and Equalityâ so which is it they want? Or the âOffice for Tax simplificationâ active over a period when tax complexity doubled at least. Or the sick joke âCommittee for Climate Change.â
February 3, 2024
Lifelogic.
Indeed given manufacturers are seeing a slowdown in the sale of Ev’s this could have untold repercussions in the market place.
Government have decreed that a fixed percentage of their output must be Ev or they will be fined.
Thus manufactures have choice, produce what people want, and face a costly fine, or slow down the production of ICE cars, so that Evs form the percentage that the Government dictates, and not get a fine.
I thought the whole idea of business was to grow not shrink !
The possible side effect if a production slowdown happens, good Quality second hand cars will be more expensive.
Why on earth is the Government intruding such stupid controls and fines, I thought they wanted the economy to grow !
February 3, 2024
Good opportunity for businesses selling nearly new cars into the UK.
Roll them off a cargo ship in Kenya say, register them in that country and roll them back onto the cargo ship bound for the UK as second hand.
No doubt the government will want to close that loophole, or they will have given up the stupid idea when they realise it won’t work.
February 4, 2024
Dave
Already been thought of, but government have suggested they will have plans to stop it.
The bigger problem for the UK may be that manufacturers decide to move the production plant to a more friendly country where no limits of production on vehicle types exist.
Decades ago I purchased a new car, UK spec, from abroad, collected it and imported it myself (yes all legal and paid all due tax at the UK Port) as it was thousands of pounds cheaper to do so, than purchasing the same vehicle in the UK.
Did the same through a Bona Fide Motor trader a decade later, saved 20% both times.
February 3, 2024
I agree Wanderer, John, you should be as worried about new euro6 engines and all the associated controls that are required to meet the emissions standards are causing so many breakdowns, the parts arenât available for repair, vehicles off the road for months. Sorry but I think you are concentrating on the wrong thing, we need to open up our parts market and vehicle market and make more parts back in the UK.
February 3, 2024
Governments can interfere because they control the money needed to fund the subsidy, etc.âThey don’t limit the money they make so there’s no limit to their interference.âOr their welfare promises.âOr their waste.
‘I donât believe we shall ever have a good money again before we take the thing out of the hands of government, that is, we canât take them violently out of the hands of government, all we can do is by some sly roundabout way introduce something they canât stop.’ â Friedrich Hayek, 1984.
February 3, 2024
I must second all that statement.
I for one will never submit to this treatment, at present I ignore all the moves, but I am willing to fight Nut Zero
February 3, 2024
They never learn. Look at all the other schemes that the government has tried to push with subsidies such as smart meters, insulation, heat pumps to name but three, all at great cost to the taxpayer. If a product or idea is good enough it will take off like wildfire, faster today than any time before if benefits are on offer. EVs are hugely expensive, run on battery technology that will be obsolete in a few years as solid state tech matures and will land current owners with colossal losses when they try to sell their car. All that is before considering the gross inadequacies of the national charging network, the drop off in EV performance in very cold weather and the combustibility risks inherent in gel based batteries. It is not obvious that solid state batteries will turn the tide, although their safety, range, recharging speed and lighter weight (less containment required) will help. I wouldn’t touch a current EV with a bargepole.
February 3, 2024
I look forward to buying an EV, just as soon as the two outstanding issues are resolved; vehicle battery/energy storage and charging infrastructure.
Your wider point is well made, particularly the Net Zero insanity which is now very close to being debunked. Time to review that decision.
February 5, 2024
So you are not getting one thenâŠ.
Iâm looking forward to getting a Time Machine as soon as itâs invented.
February 3, 2024
They love ‘social engineering’ its not just our choice transport its also the freedom of the road
February 3, 2024
Indeed and keeping your old ICU car saves far more CO2 than causing a new EV & battery to be mined, manufactured anyway – if more CO2 tree food actually bothers you contrary to all the evidence.
For EVs to work well you need better, lighter, cheaper, longer lasting, more efficient, less flammable, faster charging batteries and a convenient place at your home to park & charge them. In the mean time stick with petrol, or gas or diesel (or artificial synthetic fuels in due course).
February 3, 2024
Lighter (& smaller) batteries would be good. A typical 50KWH (say 150 miles reliably range) electric car battery costs circa ÂŁ10,000 weighs about 300kg and takes up over 100 litres of the cars space. Lucky if it lasts much more than 8 years before the range falls away and it is worthless too. Not easy to recycle either.
February 3, 2024
150 mile range in ev speak is 30 miles at the most – useless
February 3, 2024
Andrew Bridgen today.
âStill no date for the full 3 hour debate on Excess Deaths despite 24 MPs supporting the application.
I very much doubt it will happen as after Rishi Sunak stated âunequivocally the vaccines are safeâ.
He canât allow the debate to go ahead and so would rather call a General Election and see his party obliterated.â
Only 24?
February 3, 2024
Every vaccine has a tiny risk to certain people, it is not yet possible to determine who might be at greater risk than the vast majority.
Stepping off a road kerb carries a risk, tiny for possibly millions of steps, but once in a while a pedestrian doesn’t look first, a cyclist or car driver is not watching the walker and …..
February 4, 2024
Thanks for your words of such great wisdom. Except some “vaccines” have a tiny risk and others have very significantly higher risks and cause excess death of 10%-20% plus it seems. Doing huge net harm.
It was very clear even before the Covid “vaccine” roll out, that “vaccinating” people (especially people with no need for any Covid Vaccines as young or had already had Covid so not at any real risk anyway) with new tech. insufficiently tested “vaccines” was certain virtually to do more harm than good and they have.
February 4, 2024
The issue is the size of the risk, Mickey. The Covid injection products have a far higher risk of adverse effects than conventional vaccines. If you had been keeping up you would know that. It’s also a matter of what age group: for the under 40s the risk of adverse effects is far higher than the risk of serious illness or death from Covid, for the over 70s the Covid jabs probably did make more sense.
February 4, 2024
Thank you – you ‘can keep your HAT on Man’.
Most of the alarming speculation is unproven – yes there are concerns, but hard evidence?
Nah….
The earlier vaccines took too many years to PROVE, as you put it.
Covid required urgent steps through the admin to get to a ‘life and damage saving vaccine’
February 3, 2024
” If a product or idea is good enough it will take off like wildfire”…
Totally agree, but it seems to me that in the past, great scientific and engineering endeavours were much more of a national affair; very much in the national interest, using British manufacturing companies to develop British nationally produced ideas and innovations.
These days, we hear phrases like ‘leave it to the markets’ : translation being leave it to (mostly foreign owned) multinational conglomerates, which only care about maximising profits for foreign shareholders and outsourcing manufacturing to the cheapest foreign bidder.
What are these ‘massive’ subsidies? Where do they go? Why are they not classified as investments? Where is the return on these investments? Do we now give these ‘massive’ subsidies merely for the privilege of taking the tax revenue; arguably a pittance?
February 3, 2024
Good morning.
The government should let the market decide and base any taxes not on CO2 emissions but weight of vehicle and efficiency. It is weight that causes damage and the more efficient a vehicle the less pollution, and this includes NOX emissions.
More fuel efficiency equals less consumption and a slightly lower deficit, less cost and lower inflation. Trying to to reduce an imaginary and achievable goal causes chaos, as we are now seeing.
February 3, 2024
Weight and reduce car tax on older cars because the owner hasn’t churned and caused a larger carbon footprint.
February 3, 2024
Agree – and hasn’t contributed to any climate change …..nothing has changed
February 3, 2024
The EV dream was led by lawyers and zealots, of whicb Parliament has more than its fair share. They have tried to force through a market change that only a small section of the market thought they wanted, a bit like handbag fitting dogs. Look at the latest fashion accessory I have acquired.
It is not just all the downsides you itemise, consider the electrical demand were EVs to become universal. We cannot make enough electricity, store enough, distribute enough, nor do we have the local electrical infrastructure to sustain the charging of 100% EVs. Not everyone has their own drive or dedicated parking space. The resultant cable charging grid would look like lost fishing nets on a submerged maritime wreck. Thinkk of the cjvil unrest that might cause. There is much talk of poor UK productivity. Currently caused by absent scribes, but consider the business motoring public sitting in their shiny new EVs for hours charging them, stagnation in spades.
I go with my first sentence. Science, engineering, practicality and the market ignored all to pay homage to a new religion. Like you I think the market is begining to realise the Earth is not flat.
February 3, 2024
Not one single climate change prediction has been realised …..apart from net-zero cost to the taxpayer
https://extinctionclock.org/
February 3, 2024
+1 the models used do not even accurately predict the past climate let alone the future.
February 4, 2024
Lifelogic
They have been choosing the so called facts to suit the arguments on more polices than Net Zero for years, so why expect any difference now.
The real problem has been the lack of any sensible debate where all sides of the argument could be heard, all we ever get is the lie that “the science is settled” when clearly it has not
February 3, 2024
Your government could start by checking on an important condition it attached to the taxpayer money given to small and medium-sized businesses, to install EV charge points on their premises. It said the company had to ensure “appropriate” fire safety measures are in place. The recent EV fires suggest fire safety is becoming a priority. Time to check and see how seriously companies have taken the condition that came with the government grant. And check up properly – don’t let civil servants do it “working from home”!
February 3, 2024
I understand the Royal Mail is turning to EVs. This seems a good idea – generally short journeys, start/stop regime, just right for an EV with a modest battery size. So EVs are a good idea in their place, rather like the old electric milk float except with lighter and more energy dense batteries. Plus if it’s the firms vehicle to do a job who cares about performance?
On the other hand, if I’m looking to travel hundreds of miles, that heavy battery and the wait to recharge makes an EV look a clumsy solution.
February 3, 2024
You only need to purchase one LPG forklift truck for every two EV forklift trucks âŠ.one always has to be on charge to keep industry moving ….they’re a subsidy fad, and like Tata Steel they’re forced to make net-zero plans and decarbonise
February 3, 2024
Nobody is forced to buy an electric car and most of the subsidies have stopped. My son has a Tesla and is delighted with it. Why does Mr Redwood feel the need to drivel on about it when there are more important matters to consider?
Reply The subsidies are massive and growing, now mainly given to the car companies to make more EVs as it is completely uneconomic to set up an EV plant without subsidy. This is a crucial topic of industrial policy. Go to another site if this one annoys you with the truth.
February 3, 2024
Paul E, do you realise that car manufaxturers are being fined thousands per quota of EV not sold, and that after 2030 there is a ban on new petrol cars …..and you say ‘nobody is forced’
February 3, 2024
John, was Tesla set up with government subsidy? Which world government subsidised the Tesla EV? Have they had payback. Do the Chinese subsidise their EV plants and these new vehicles they are making?
Iâve got to admit I like my battery car, charging at night between 12 and 5am twice per week is economical and saves journeys to the fuel station, I donât use it for long trips and it is leased not bought as I donât trust the battery life to make a long term investment in one. I also wouldnât buy one second hand for that reason without some sort of battery warranty cover. However, if it is a second car a short distance run around vehicle đ I wouldnât hesitate to get one.
Reply I am not stopping people buying them! Yes the Chinese have thrown state money into the EV revolution. Tesla is a private sector business but it has benefited from taxpayer subsidy to help it set up factories and from government regulations tilting pro EV
February 3, 2024
How much is the lease PM and how many miles do you do PM?
February 3, 2024
I think around ÂŁ400 and less than 10,000 pa.
February 3, 2024
Even that is 48p a mile (just in finance and depreciation). Even more should you do a lower mileage.
February 3, 2024
How does that compare to your car? Or an ice car that is just 2.5 years old. My last car was a petrol I bought outright that I ran for 17 years but it got too costly to refuel and required some expensive work, by keeping it a long time it didnât owe me anything but to be honest I did want to try a battery which is why I leased rather than bought.
February 4, 2024
Finance and depreciation on an old car can be as low as ÂŁ1,000 PA or ÂŁ10p a mile on 10,000 PA. Fuel perhaps 14p a mile so more that electricity if charged at home (but then half of that is just tax on it). The electric car costs a lot more to insure and wears tyres out more quickly too,
February 3, 2024
You charge between 12 and 5am because of the advantageous EV tariff, but how much has your standard tariff gone up by?
February 3, 2024
Only 1/3 can charge from home
February 6, 2024
I agree, Glen, it’s a problem. We tried to get a charger at work for three people to use, but the estate manager wouldn’t let us lift the pavement, so we had to get three home-based units.
February 3, 2024
@Reply I did not receive any subsidies with my EVs, please give details of these “massive” subsidies you refer to, and how they compare with those provided to other non-EV car and associated manufacturers and businesses now and in the past.
It appears there are a range of businesses that cannot survive anyway without subsidy of some sort including rail and steel.
Gosh, who knew, if you abandoned medium and heaving engineering to foreign companies subsidised by their governments pretty soon those industries would disappear followed by their suppliers, eg steel. Or was the goal of UK Gov industrial policy all along?
Reply Every battery plant in the UK has required large subsidies. ICE plants not so.
February 3, 2024
reply – and many have gone into administration
February 3, 2024
reply to reply…are you insisting that Nissan, BMW etc had no Government support?
February 3, 2024
Recently, related to EVs:
24/11/2023 politico.eu âNissan confirms future of Sunderland factory with UK Government supportâ. At least ÂŁ15 m.
July 2023 JLR got ÂŁ500 m from Government to help it build its ÂŁ4 bn gigafactory in Somerset.
September 2023 BMW got at least a ÂŁ75 m Government subsidy to continue build the Mini in the UK.
Not so recently, related to ICE cars:
buy.motorious.com 11/03/2019 âHow Margaret Thatcher brought Nissan to the UKâ.
04/02/2019 theguardian.com âNissan was offered secret state aid to cope with Brexit, minister concedesâ.
corporate-welfare-watch.org.uk 26/09/2017 âNissan UKâs ÂŁ800 million worth of corporate welfareâ.
Also same source âOiling the wheels: Nissan, private investment and British corporate welfareâ, 17pp. (look at figure p.10, and appendix p.13-14).
February 3, 2024
@Reply Not much detail there and no recognition of subsidies others have received … and ICE car manufacturers complained that the UK weren’t subsidising enough to compete against the US US Inflation Reduction Act subsidies. Governments subsidise industries they care about/consider strategic … clearly the UK government considers no industry strategic except the City and property development.
February 3, 2024
Subsidies are a way of life now if we are to compete. Most of what you say is looking forward to life in the 1950âs. What will you put in your car when we run out of oil in the 2050âs?
February 3, 2024
Paul E
“What do we put in the car in 2050”
The simple answer is whatever is cost effective and available..
It could be Hydrogen, Synthetic fuel, electricity or even petrol or diesel if still around.
I am more concerned about my motoring for the next few years, not in 25 years time.
The market, science, development, and the manufacturers will decide our future, simples.
In the meantime an ICE car suits my needs just fine, as I complete some long (400 -1000 mile) and short journeys.
Average consumption 40 -55 MPG dependent upon journey type, and traffic density.
February 3, 2024
run out of oil ?…don’t make me laugh. Which countries will willingly stop their contracts for production?
February 3, 2024
If you have spend ÂŁ80k on an EV car and think you are saving the world – you tend to say you are delighted with it. But keeping an older ICU car is far cheaper, has better range, refills in minutes, does not need a place to park & charge it at home(s) office with home chargers, can tow things, depreciates far less quickly⊠The only reason is the government bribes, taxes, climate propaganda and coercion.
February 3, 2024
Volvo has scrapped it EV.
We donât want them.
We will not have them.
What words do these globalist narcissists not understand?
February 3, 2024
globalist narcissists = tory government
February 3, 2024
Indeed a government car scrap-age scheme is the last things needed for most old ICU cars. We also have government ministers for science, energy, net zero, transport⊠with almost zero education in or understanding of science, energy, physics, logic, maths, CO2 – essentially just con-men & CO2 devil gas religious leaders.
February 3, 2024
LL :
Indeed.
But it is not only the ministers and MPs in the various HoC Select Committees who have âalmost zero education in or understanding of science, energy, physics, logic, maths, CO2âŠâ but also the Civil Service Permanent Secretaries and Department Heads.
It is excruciating to watch a HoC or HoL Select Committee interviewing a Permanent Secretary or Head of Department where neither the Committee nor the civil servant has any real knowledge of a subject such as energy. So it is not a surprise that we are in a Net Zero mess when Committees never either question engineers or anyone outside of the Westminster bubble/Green echo chamber.
Committee Chairs need to widen their evidence taking.
February 5, 2024
They have to create mass government jobs to secure the votes. The biggest rthe majority, the more briefcases are required.
There should be legislation specifying the maximum number of Government jobs, and the scrapping of the Hous of Lords if only to get rid of the vicious Bishops!
February 3, 2024
If we all switched to heating with heat pumps, EVs and renewables we would need a grid with many times the capacity perhaps as much as 10 times and vast extra generating capacity too. This is totally impossible and impractical with current resources and current tech. and for many years to come.
The real agenda is to drive many people out of cars completely.
February 6, 2024
The reports I’ve seen (eg WSJ Feb 1,2024) refer to Polestar – via it’s partnership with Geely, Volvo’s Chinese owner.
Polestar has not made a profit so it may be a competitive and/or marketing issue.
I haven’t seen anything about the Volvo EV range (EX30, XC40, EX90 etc) and whether they are profitable or have similar issues – have you?
February 3, 2024
Common sense would suggest that if a product needs a subsidy, it is either too expensive in the first place, or unsuitable for the purpose intended.
Fines or excess taxation on alternative and proven products and services, is proof of the above.
I suggest it will not be long before insurance companies put some rather onerous terms and conditions on EV vehicle storage and travel, I understand it has perhaps already started with some conditions on Home Insurance Policies.
February 3, 2024
We must always remember that it was Boris Johnson, the blazing figurehead of Vote Leave and Tory Brexit PM, who started all this with his proud ban on the purchase of proper new cars and his ringing endorsement of EVs. He is the person most responsible for the destruction of the car industry as we know it.
February 3, 2024
Yes, and Johnson was also the person who wanted to have an amnesty for all illegal immigrants, and indeed, was an enthusiastic supporter of open door immigration into England. He and his kind, the Eton/Oxford/Cambridge types, deserve every possible misfortune.
February 3, 2024
And there remains the awkward and unanswered question as to how to generate the electricity to power EVs and to electrify the rest of the economy without using fossil fuels.
February 3, 2024
and all EV users seem to want to charge the cars during the night …..no sun and often no wind.
It doesn’t add up.
February 3, 2024
If only we had a government that represented the British people rather than the interests of a globalist cabal.
February 3, 2024
@Brian Tomkinson +1 exactly
February 3, 2024
Why don’t you hit this nonsense on the head and let everyone buy what they like and stop pushing one kind of vehicle. I have just bought another petrol car and do not want an electric thing. I do not want politicians pushing petrol prices out of my reach just because they have some net zero rubbish in mind. I have just had about enough of the way this country is being run (not your fault I know) but can see no group who will give me what I want. Where do I go?
February 4, 2024
Vote for Reform.
February 4, 2024
âïž
February 3, 2024
State’s cannot circumvent the fundamental laws of finance and economics even though they believe they can. Neither can they destroy civil freedoms and police speech even if they believe they can. EV’s are financially illogical and illiterate except in the deluded minds of governments who promote the fallacy and ideology of climate change.
People will adjust their behaviour to oppose political and ideological attacks on our world. We resent what western governments are doing to our freedoms. We can see what governments are doing, though governments and bureaucrats and idiots at the WEF we cannot.
Western governments will take it too far and we will see a Berlin Wall, 1989 moment. Most of us are tired of race, gender, sexuality, environmental and public health ideology being rammed down out throats as governments seek to control speech, language, mind and emotions. This Maoist woke agenda is a cancer and it is destroying the beauty of life, as it is meant to do. That all main parties have endorsed it is heartbreaking, genuinely heartbreaking because decent people don’t deserve it
February 3, 2024
I agree with every word, Dom !!
February 3, 2024
@DOM
What you say while true, we have a Conservative Government that is maliciously going out of its way to cause maximum pain.
They saw Blair/Brown tear the Country apart and now want to add tier ‘two-penneth’.
We have a Parliament and State that serves its self not those that are said to empower and pay them
February 3, 2024
I feel EV sales are going exactly as they wanted.
HMG wants us all out of a car and walking around our 15 minute cities – when we can no longer afford EV’s as petrol vehicles disappear they will have achieved major objectives.
HMG has no qualms about letting car manufacturers take the sting for all of this – no morals.
February 3, 2024
@Bryan Harris – that’s the Socialist way of handling the over crowding of our Country and congestion in our Cities, make transport to those that pay the bill, unaffordable, so HMG and its ‘Blob’ co-conspirators have a clear run.
February 3, 2024
Indeedy, and who is directing it?
Nobody that we could call an effective government working for us.
February 3, 2024
EV makers push their cars, racing to jump start before conditions are ready. ICE drivers overtake them waving red and chequered flags.
James Watt saw steam push his kettle lid upwards. That didnât cause him to manufacture 1,000 locomotives before the rails were laid.
Needs bend iron to grab what they want, but bribes arenât magnets that attract motionless objects.
February 3, 2024
“James Watt saw steam push his kettle lid upwards. That didnât cause him to manufacture 1,000 locomotives before the rails were laid.”
Great comment!! đ€đ€Ł
February 3, 2024
Major plans to speed up connections and rapidly increase capacity on the electricity grid have been announced. The government has also committed ÂŁ960 million for the Green Industries Growth Accelerator, which will accelerate advanced manufacturing capacity in key net zero sectors, includingâŻoffshore wind, networks, usage and storage, hydrogen and nuclear.âŻ
Government has published its response to Electricity Networks Commissioner, Nick Winser CBE, accepting his recommendations in all areas. These measures will halve the time it takes to build high-voltage power lines from 14 years to 7
Building on this, the Connections Action Plan will cut the average delay time projects face to connect to the grid from 5 years to 6 months. It will also see the end of the existing âfirst-come, first-servedâ system – which had led to a long queue of projects to connect to the national grid, holding back low-carbon investment
McKinley and the rest of the pro-fossil fuel, climate crisis denying, anti-renewables, anti net-zero parliamentary faction had better watch out. Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho is clearly enamoured of the green persuasion
Reply Has anyone told the opponents of pylons in East Anglia or changed the planning system to remove delays to put in pylons in the way you want? Who is going to pay for several times increase in grid capacity? This requires some realism.
February 3, 2024
And in the meantime SG, I’m still driving around for ‘free’ in my lovely ICE car (that I really must go out and give a quick shampoo and polish to). Two years old this summer – I am still well ahead in terms of my carbon footprint (much lower emmissions over EV manufacture) and it’s still no where near as costly to run (or insure) as that ÂŁ10K+ price difference will buy me very, many full tanks of petrol! đ
February 3, 2024
SG :
âMajor plans to speed up connections and rapidly increase capacity on the electricity grid have been announcedâŠ.Green Industries Growth AcceleratorâŠ.the Connections Action PlanâŠ.â
The Net Zero by 2050 law can only be achieved by a transition to a USSR style command economy using the CCCâs 5 year carbon budgets as the new Gosplans. The result will be the same.
February 3, 2024
SG : âThe government has also committed ÂŁ960 million for the Green Industries Growth Accelerator, which will accelerate advanced manufacturing capacity in key net zero sectors, includingâŻoffshore wind, networks, usage and storage, hydrogen and nuclear.â
The economic fallacy of âgreen jobsâ is that the more people who are employed generating our energy the more expensive energy becomes and poorer we all become as a result. It was the high energy density, declining use of manpower (or horsepower) of coal fired power which brought us the Industrial Revolution and prosperity. Just as declining manpower needed in food production (agriculture) has brought prosperity. Increasing jobs in the (green) energy industry simply takes employment away from other tasks required for an advanced, civilised state, especially one that needs to earn its living through exports.
February 3, 2024
National Grid plans to spend some ÂŁ200bn on grid upgrades by 2035. That’s a huge sum – and it only covers the high voltage network, not the distribution networks taht actually deliver power to consumers, which will require at least a similar amount again being spent. That’s before you invest in a single wind turbine, heat pump or EV.
February 4, 2024
they might ‘plan to’ but finding approx ÂŁ20-25bn each year for many years for just more high-voltage cables, or more skeleton arm-waving masts is a tough ask.
February 4, 2024
I’m sure the Plan looks lovely on paper. Have they ticked all the DEI boxes and got the right number of people with “approved characteristics” to deliver it?
Obviously actual experience isn’t necessary or important: but the right number of black/female/gay/trans/ Muslims/disabled is essential.
February 3, 2024
When you say âpromoteâ EVs donât you really mean ban every alternative, remove competition and remove the consumers freedom of choice âŠ.be honest your government is a stalinist net-zero tyranny
February 4, 2024
+ 1
February 3, 2024
You might have thought our politicians would have been a little embarrassed about telling people what to buy after the diesel car fiasco that cost people dear, but no they have learnt absolutely nothing from the experience, but instead really gone off the deep end with their Net Zero religion which is going to cost the country dear.
February 3, 2024
Most are hanging on to see if electric cars will be mandatory and they are obliged to buy one rather than buy another petrol driven car.
February 3, 2024
Those of us with any common sense and understood the science, realised that electric cars would be a failure. The government needs to understand that net zero is nonsensical too. If the government continues along this track they will destroy our country.
February 3, 2024
@Anthony Jacks +1
The are close to achieving full destruction. Those doing the damage will be leaving for more sensible domains only to have another ridiculous crowd take up the clarion call. The big problem ‘Common Sense’ it is no longer permitted to be that common any more it has been drummed out of society
February 3, 2024
AJ + ++++ youâre quite right, they simply donât understand that theyâre being sold a pup. Basic understanding of science cuts across the ambitions of many (most ?)
politicians to take our country and our world forward into an impasse on the issues of NZ, wokedom, subservience to unelecteds of Europe, immigration, legal and illegal, etc., see Lifelogic for full list (not joking, heâs got it well covered).
DOM, also not to be derided, has an excellent visceral understanding of what our country is about and where it is being shepherded into.
February 3, 2024
the plan is proceeding nicely.
February 3, 2024
Just like every government policy this one is a disaster. Things are coming to ahead now with the latest ludicrous conscription debate. 90% of people say they won’t fight for the ruling class because they know we have politicians that actively hate us and want us caged in smart cities or dead. I can’t wait for that refusal to fight for them to turn to an active desire to fight against them.
February 3, 2024
@Paul +1
February 4, 2024
I’m far too old to fight …. but why would I want my two sons to fight for a governing class who have deliberately destroyed our nation with mass immigration … or a king whose allegiance is to the WEF and supports the policy of making “his subjects” colder, poorer, less mobile, with restricted lives” and for them to “own nothing.”
February 3, 2024
Norway is an interesting study, they persuaded people into EVs â Over the last decade, Norway has emerged as the world’s undisputed leader in electric vehicle adoption. With generous government incentives available, 87 percent of the country’s new car sales are now fully electric, a share that dwarfs that of the European Union (13 percent) and the United States (7 percent).31 Oct 2023â
Incentives, free parking, free tolls etc. Now they want to stop all that and get people cycling, walking and using public transport thats what it is really about, cars for the rich, restricted personal freedoms for the rest. https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23939076/norway-electric-vehicle-cars-evs-tesla-oslo. Perhaps the next government will skip the EV thing and just go straight for bikes and buses/trams.
February 3, 2024
A_tracy
Yes visited Norway last year, lovely Country, population 5 Million, a road they call a Motorway has one lane in each direction with No central barrier.
Very few traffic lights even in towns as traffic density low.
95% of electricity produced by cheap hydro electric power, they also kept back a lot of oil revenue to invest in the economy and infrastructure.
They have got it right for them, using their own resources and making the best of them.
February 3, 2024
Zero tolerance of alcohol driving.
Many years ago when last there I heard about the ‘bottle shops’ – very restricted opening hours we called ‘off licence’.
People collected drink cans from litter bins to get cash from metal recovery schemes.
February 4, 2024
Yes I enjoyed a visit to Norway and was amazed how many smart cars there were parked on the roadside. I also visited a hydro electric power producer and walked to the top of the mountain. A very expensive place to visit, food especially even the fish that they have in plentiful supply. They are the size of Scotland but with an even tougher climate.
People do forget how much is spent in the UK on infrastructure, roads, railways etc. in Scotland are amazing free running in most areas other than the big City congestion, the Queensferry Crossing in 2017 cost ÂŁ1.35bn. Since 2007, ÂŁ11.1 billion worth of Scottish Government-led infrastructure projects have been completed. These are mostly projects in transport, health and education. A further ÂŁ3.7 billion of capital projects are currently under construction. The railway connections in Scotland are so much better than rail infrastructure in England other than London.
February 3, 2024
Toyota’s EV strategy guided by dealers and customers, not regulations, says
Toyota Motor North America sales chief Jack Hollis
https://www.autonews.com/retail/toyotas-jack-hollis-ev-regulations-way-out-front-consumers?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_term=automotive+news&utm_content=1369d2e6-3d30-4be5-a1d3-ae2702f920e5
February 3, 2024
There is a case for certain customers that only do shortish journeys, can have a wall plug-in and dedicated parking space (on a drive?). They also must have ready capital or are not deterred by the significant loan (for most of us).
If depreciation is not a concern and the keeping up with the Jones’ nudges to join the ‘look at me’ buys street cred – then go ahead.
February 3, 2024
The problems the Conservatives are having encouraging people to buy EVs are nothing compared to what will happen when they ban the sale of new gas boilers – there are millions of properties where it is impossible to install heat pumps and millions more who can’t afford to spend upwards of ÂŁ20k on a heat pump, insulation, new radiators, new pipes and a new hot water tank – what are they supposed to do ? What they will do of course is vote for someone other than the Conservatives who will cancel the ban.
February 3, 2024
Absolutely right Roy. I’ve just replaced my old boiler with a very nice new one. It came with a 10 year warrenty and all new valves, pump and controls but – most importantly – didn’t need new radiators, extensive changes to my house insulation. Gas may be expensive but it still very much cheaper per Kwh than electricity.
February 3, 2024
We have no spare low carbon electricity to run the heat pumps off & nor can the grid cope or be improved sufficiently anyway for many years. A moronic agenda. Running heat pumps of electricity generated mainly by burning gas or wood at power stations is idiotic.
February 3, 2024
@Roy Grainger – yes ÂŁ20K is a drop in the ocean for our countries millionaire MP’s. In the UK the full basic State Pension is ÂŁ156.20 per week, having paid qualifying contributions for 40plus years. Just ask MP’s top live on that and also be forced to pay ÂŁ20K to ditch a fully functioning and working heating system.
The other bit missing from the equation ‘heat pumps’ as with EV’s require a lot of costly electricity to run. The UK is one of the dearest places for energy in the World. This Conservation Government has refused to allow the UK to be safe and secure when it comes to electricity, most of the UKs electricity is supplied and held hostage to the whims of foreign governments. This Conservative Government paid the French Government ÂŁ1.5Billion last year just to keep our lights on. Then there is the agreement they have made for renewable energy from within our own backyard that the UK Citizen will pay ‘over’ the market rate for its supply to the Danish Government. The list is endless of the great give-away from the Conservative Government
February 3, 2024
Stop all the subsidies and let the market decide at its own pace, whether it be EVs, Heat Pumps, Wind Farms or anything else associated with Net Zero. CO2 is not the slightest problem, and eventually, the idiots in the Government of whichever party will be forced to realise that.
The Farmers in the EU are the first real pushback from the Net Zero stupidity.
In the supposedly free UK, the Government dictates what manufacturers can sell. No wonder the Conservatives are down 20% plus in opinion polls.
February 5, 2024
You would think Conservatives would know this. Apparently itâs all news in Drowning St.
February 3, 2024
You need only look at the share prices of battery firms to see how they’re being…erm, battered.
One leading investment trust has now sunk to a quarter of the share price it had a year ago, and its premium in February 2023 has now turned into a dramatic 64% discount. Clearly, the EV manufacturers’ hopes of turning us upside down and shaking subsidies out of our pockets have been dashed, and the markets are taking to a reality check.
February 3, 2024
As the Chair of the HoC PAC always reminds everyone when taking evidence of the subject of Net Zero, it is now law that he UK must reach net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. As a result everything else is secondary including the wealth and security of the nation and its UK citizens.
So if electrification is deemed necessary to achieve Net Zero, then it matters not that this requires transition to expensive, impractical or, as in the case of bevs, dangerous, replacements. In fact if such a transition means that fewer vehicles are built, fewer are on the roads making fewer journeys then together with the inevitable reduction in living standards will only help the drive to the decarbonised Net Zero nirvana.
There is no CAGW caused by the burning of hydrocarbon fuels as shown by the calculations of Happer & Wijngaarden on the real atmosphere, including water vapour, omitted by the IPCC models, because of IR saturation (see the CO2 Coalition website for details or use YouTube)
The reason why the UN, WEF and climate activists have no issue with China emitting vast quantities of CO2 is because China is already an authoritarian/communist state.
February 3, 2024
All of the comments above are just plain common sense, yet no political parties currently represented at Westminster or the civil service are listening !
As it’s common sense that is lacking, perhaps we should have Esther McVey as Prime Minister ?
She couldn’t be any worse than Sunak – and we know that Starmer and Miliband would be even worse.
February 3, 2024
John, the problem is that the government wishes to take away our other choices of petrol/diesel vehicles, and the costs that EVs are creating by their weight wearing out roads and infrastructure and the high insurance repair costs are being smeared out to all people – people who wish to keep their ICE cars and not face the costs of the centrally planned anti-CO2 dystopia pushed from Whitehall. I’ve just got to renew my car insurance this week and the quotes are double those from last year in spite of being a low mileage driver with 15 years no claims. It’s getting crazy. The government must disband the Climate Change Committee, role back on all international commitments related to emissions of any gases, including leaving the Paris Climate Accord and to repeal the Climate Change Act. I want all these ridiculous claims about the climate and all these centrally planned restrictions, imposed costs and taxes removed.
February 4, 2024
Could it be you’ve turned 80? I’ve heard similar anecdotes with shock and awe!
February 4, 2024
DB
Agreed, just got my car insurance renewal through, they want a 25% increase, my circumstances exactly the same as last year.
Had a ring around for a competitive quote to find prices much higher elsewhere.
Insurance broker said his premium had doubled as well.
My solution was to increase the voluntary excess by a further ÂŁ250, to a now ÂŁ500, to reduce the premium by ÂŁ150.00
Reason given for the increased premium was, repair costs have increased very significantly.
February 3, 2024
How is possible to suggest a government is a Conservative, which by its very nature suggests it believes in a âfree and openâ competitive market place, when the first thing it does is to attempt to manipulate the market. In using and abusing the market as a political weapon, it is showing itself to be a 100% pure socialist hypocritical cabal.
What little market there has been for EVâs has had the government (this Conservative Government) stealing from those that canât afford a new car to furnish those that can afford a new car with a taxpayer subsidy. As they saying goes âthe rich get richer on the backs of the poorâ. Then to punish those that are trying to get on with their lives, to move forward, they also take taxpayer contributions to award the countries basically well-off with EV charging points. Our fuel stations through out the UK have been financed by the user and not by those that couldnât afford to get on the ladder.
February 3, 2024
The government behaves like dictators failing to understand that for the vast majority of working people and their families BEVâs are too expensive and impractical. Now fleet and large businesses are cutting back or offloading their BEVâs and several car manufacturers principally Toyota have declared they are not the solution. Dealerships now have a surplus of BEVâs they cannot sell so there are offering 0% interest loans! It wonât work. As with wind and solar so with BEVâs and Gas Boilers, the government has picked a losing strategy.
February 3, 2024
Agree 100%
February 3, 2024
âGovernments can promote electric vehicles but cant make people buy themâ
Well, thatâs true except that that the Government can make bevs the only vehicles allowed under the Net Zero by 2050 law and ban the sale of any hydrocarbon fuels. So itâs bevs or nothing.
February 3, 2024
God. The country is going under because of an Immigration Emergency and this chap writes daily as though we have a civilised future.
This is simply unbelievable.
February 4, 2024
The kettle is starting to boil, and the lid might come flying off as the spout of public opinion is blocked.
February 3, 2024
Thanks, John. You’re always to the point. (You’ll go far, dare I say!). As we know..as in the ‘Right said Fred’ song by Bernard Cribbens: ‘The trouble with Fred he’s just too ‘asty’…We can say the same about certain governments and lobbyists going about things back-to-front. Avoiding a tedious read by me and not pointing out other negative features re electric cars…it’s been obvious to some of us for some time that the whole ‘scenario’ was looking potentially disastrous. Suspicions began about the time, I suppose, when the Scottish police had plenty of EVs, however but too few charging points to keep ’em going. Remember this? ‘The slope of negativity’ has gotten ever steeper since…
February 3, 2024
The website ‘not a lot of people know that’ is following your lead today with a simular article
”will-ev-sales-hit-22-target-this-year”
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2024/02/03/will-ev-sales-hit-22-target-this-year/
February 3, 2024
Sir John asserts that governments cannot make people buy EVs. Want to bet on that? At present it is mandating companies to sell a minimum number. To whom is for the companies to decide. Shortfalls are to be penalised by tax. The policy risks bankrupting the suppliers. When that fails why would the government not simply tax private ownership of ICEs and subsidise EVs to the point that switching to an EV is a no brainer for the private individual who cannot afford to allow politics to determine his choice of car. It rather depends on the government and some most certainly would. The mechanisms are already in place to control the price of electricity, petrol, gas or any other fuel, both generally and by category of use, to tax insurance of cars by type of car, to tax ownership of cars by type of car. All it needs is adjustment of rates, not even an act of parliament.
Democracy is all very well but it would be for the greater good of the people, non?
February 4, 2024
I am sure what you are suggesting what they ‘might’ do would bring blockades in the streets, mass strikes, Westminster surrounded and a level of personal abuse of Ministerial people to a levelof violence.
So, no it ain’t going to happen.
February 4, 2024
“Governments can promote EV’s but they can’t make people buy them.”
No, they can’t. But they CAN make it impossible for people to buy a petrol or diesel one. And that’s what they ARE doing by
(a) restricting the ability to buy one, and in due course banning them
(b) forcing up the costs of ICE cars, by financially penalising the car retail sector knowing full well that they will pass the cost onto the consumer who buys one
(c) restricting by price – and in due course banning – areas where they may be driven, parked etc
Nudge, nudge, kick.
If someone won’t/can’t buy an EV, that’s tough. It’ll be one more car off the road, which is the real intention of all these policies. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the climate or air quality.