The transition from ICE to EV cars is politically and ideologically driven. However, the facts are certainly not consistent with the stated aim.
The production of EV batteries causes more pollution than the production of an ICE. It has been estimated that it takes 56,000 miles for an EV to make up for its dirty origins (ecological payload). This means you can drive an ICE vehicle for 56,000 guilt-free miles.
Guilt-free driving increases to 99,000 miles if the EV is powered using electricity from fossil fuels. Studies have shown that a plug-in hybrid is expected to emit just 0.6 tons more carbon than an EV after 124,000 miles.
The benefits are marginal yet the burden being imposed on consumers’ pockets and the infrastructure appears disproportionate. These marginal benefits do not reflect the other economic impacts associated with the repairability of EVs due to the lack of suitably trained technicians or the high cost of spare parts for EVs.
The British public is clearly not convinced and is not buying into Project Net Zero and EVs with any particular enthusiasm. The well-known political aphorism ‘you can’t buck the market’ is as true in the context of ICE -v- EV ‘wars’ as with currency back in the day.
People are simply not buying EVs on the scale anticipated at this stage in the process. Hybrids and plug-in hybrids appear to be doing well but not EVs.
Buyer indifference is being fueled by the realities of on-street charging/ range anxiety and the considerable premium to be paid over equivalent ICE vehicles. Reality is sinking in, and EV sales are being driven largely by fleet purchases as consumer sales go into reverse.
The early take-up of EVs was driven by those who could afford to, seeking to do the right thing encouraged no doubt by government subsidies and schemes. But remember the ‘dash for diesel’ and the unintended consequences linked to that? One wonders what unintended consequences will come home to roost with the dash for EVs?
The insurance market seems to be the canary in the mine. Some underwriters are refusing to insure EVs and premiums for EVs have soared over their ICE counterparts.
I started this short article with a view to writing about the challenges of recycling used EV batteries. But the enormity of the recklessness inherent in the transition from ICE to EV vehicles struck me as being a more compelling subject.
Should we be abandoning ICE vehicles in the ‘mad’ dash for EVs? Based on the evidence I would suggest we think very carefully about this.
The extension of the ban on ICE vehicles to 2035 is simply a case of kicking the problem down the track for a future government to grapple with. I am not against EVs in principle but I counsel caution. Perhaps a case of ‘once ‘mad dash’ bitten, twice shy’.
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