The Write Direction: Electric alarm

GOVERNMENTS here and overseas are extolling the virtues of owning and operating electric vehicles (EVs), but a strong pushback is coming from rural and regional proponents who are against this idea.

I am reminded of the saying that “none are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm”.

This seems to be part of the government’s reason for telling us to “get with it” and convert to driving electric or hybrid vehicles.

Older people are more likely to think that taking regular naps can prevent old age, especially if you take them whilst driving.

In a move that is shaking up discussions about owning electric vehicles, the UK Parliament has enacted a ban preventing EVs from parking in its underground facilities.

This decision came after an internal risk assessment highlighted that, in the event of a thermal runaway or battery failure which can lead to fires, that containment and suppression of such fires in these locations could be extremely difficult.

The argument against EV ownership signals a critical intersection between sustainability goals developed by government and the reality of safety issues that may not be obvious to all EV owners.

It all comes down to the argument about the safety of batteries and their replacement cost, especially the popular lithium ones that provide better mileage and longer life than other options.

The other often hidden issue with EV batteries is their operational life (suggested to be between 10 and 20 years) and the fact that replacement cost of the spent batteries will be greater than the market value of that EV.

So, we could be starting to see a buildup of second-hand EVs around the eight- to ten-year-old variety because few if any are likely to be sold to the buyers of cheap but good-looking EVs in the secondhand vehicle market.

The issue which is difficult to research is the cost benefit between PHEV and self-regenerating battery vehicles that don’t need to be plugged in.

With different battery sizes and costs of replacement when that time arrives, it really has become difficult to look at running costs against battery replacement.

By John BLACKBOURN