2040

Gazguzzler wrote: My concerns are the raw materials to make these batteries. I once heard (on radio 4) that a lap top takes about 1/2 ton of resources to build and dont forget some of these materials its made from are quite rare. The Carbon footprint is massive for your wee laptop.

But back to the topic, Cars will need to get a lot smaller and lighter - single seaters maybe, as most car journeys are alone?

Phil

The carbon footprint for providing the leccy to charge these cars could be huge too.

Lets not forget the carbon footprint for oil. Exploration, plant construction, drilling, transport, distribution and then it chucks a whole lot more carbon out when you burn it. The impact of extracting oil from the earth for the past 100 years has been far greater than the impact of building the renewable technologies is ever likely to be. Oil is single use, but a solar panel will repay its carbon footprint in the energy it produces many times over, as will a battery with the energy it stores.

You can't use the green arguments to dismiss the green technologies!

Busta wrote: Lets not forget the carbon footprint for oil. Exploration, plant construction, drilling, transport, distribution and then it chucks a whole lot more carbon out when you burn it. The impact of extracting oil from the earth for the past 100 years has been far greater than the impact of building the renewable technologies is ever likely to be. Oil is single use, but a solar panel will repay its carbon footprint in the energy it produces many times over, as will a battery with the energy it stores.

You can't use the green arguments to dismiss the green technologies!

I was simply thinking of what fuel is used to make the electricity.

Gas, coal, oil or even nuclear enough to run every car in the country.

Let's get it right only pure petrol/diesel driven cars will be banned. If you dig down hybrids and alternative fuel cars will still be allowed.
At the moment it only applies to CARS and existing vehicles will be exempt..
That leaves the door open for LPG or hydrogen. The internal combustion engine is not dead yet.
I can see hybrids being more popular as they get round the range problem and possibly the introduction of electric only zones in towns/cities so you drive to work and switch over to electric.
There is also a diesel fuel called GTL (gas to liquid) which is very clean and my brothers recent diesel BMW uses ADBLUE the same as current trucks have.
One other point how much is the govt going to charge to cover the loss of fuel duties and road tax if everyone goes over to electric? Worth a thought.

gilburton wrote: If you dig down hybrids and alternative fuel cars will still be allowed.

Yes though early reporting was confusing.

And for off-road vehicles:

www.popularmechanics.com/cars/hybrid-ele...ff-roader-so-clever/