30 DC fast-charging points will be located on motorways by end 2011

Sounds like a positive infrastructure step.

Hope Australia starts rolling out charging points soon.

That must piss-off the oil barons in the middle east.;)

marmurr1916 wrote: »

They'll need to increase their range and top speed and reduce the charge-up time significantly if electric cars are going to take off.

Still, this is a good start and hopefully there'll be recharging points on all routes within a few years.

Agreed.

I certainly think it's a step in the right direction. Still though, the electricity will be mostly coming from coal and oil power stations so not exactly green.

If electric or hydrogen cars do end up being a majority in the future and if the electricity/hydrogen is created in a more green manner then I wonder if the people who are currently against all road building on environmental grounds would turn into huge road building supporters? If not, why not?

Wonder where they're going to put them on the main routes assuming the MSA project (apart from the Enfield and M1 ones) are on permanent hold and that its illegal to stop anywhere else on the motorway?

Although I'd leave the lay-bys there as they are a temporary MSA substitute, they're illegal too.

I still reckon electric cars wont take off until you can get the same mileage out of one of them as you can a conventional tank of petrol. THEN you'll see mass migration to electric cars.

Couple electric cars with fusion generated power (someday dammit ) and most pollution and energy problems will be solved.

So how do these battery powered cars defog the windscreen or wing mirrors? or heat the interior when it's -8 degrees outside? without a serious compromise in range?

Or leave it plugged in at home.

Energy sustainability and clean air are only two environmental concepts. I imagine it would be rather difficult to build a road that didn't have an impact on an environment. Materials are used and CO2 still generated (from concrete manufacture and likely construction equipment), landscapes and habitats are still disturbed or destroyed. Watercourses are interfered with and this brings risks of flooding, drinking water contamination and further habitat disturbance (watercourse are majors routes for wildlife). Also, if everyone had a car and driver everywhere there would be congestion, safety and health issues.

There is also the environmental impact of the vehicles themselves, the mining for metals, including heavy metals have huge impacts.

I think hydrogen is the way to go. The infrastructure is in place i.e existing petrol stations, you drive in, fill up and go. Really can't understand the push for plug in electrics.

carlmango11 wrote: »

I was thinking that myself. Driving with zero carbon emissions is far more comfortable and handy than getting unreliable buses and packed trains. But do we really want a country where everybody drives everywhere? It would be like America on steroids. There is a certain quality to public transport and people walking that driving would completely diminish.


:pac:

Well, we already are the most car dependant country in the world!:rolleyes:

Ireland is the most car dependent country in the world. We drive our cars 24,400 kilometres per annum, 70pc more than in France or Germany, 50pc more than in Britain and 30pc more than in the US.
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I had a day dream a while back about electric cars. My idea was to have a pole (retractable) on top of all cars which could draw electricity from over-head wires, like electric trains here. The overhead wires would only be on certain busier roads and cars could use electricity to directly power the car and recharge its battery when on roads with overhead lines. People could also recharge their at home or wherever.

Of course we would have to ban trucks, buses...etc from using roads with the overhead lines and what would happen if someone snagged the power line with their bad driving? :pac:

EDIT: just thinking about it a little further...obviously the lines and pole from the car would need to be high enough so people couldn't grab it. Maybe just have the lines on long stretches of Motorway (already restrictions) and Dual Carriageways (change law to ban pedestrians/cyclists).

Thought I'd share my day dream even though it wouldn't be at all practical to implement.

KevR wrote: »

I had a day dream a while back about electric cars. My idea was to have a pole (retractable) on top of all cars which could draw electricity from over-head wires, like electric trains here. The overhead wires would only be on certain busier roads and cars could use electricity to directly power the car and recharge its battery when on roads with overhead lines. People could also recharge their at home or wherever.

Of course we would have to ban trucks, buses...etc from using roads with the overhead lines and what would happen if someone snagged the power line with their bad driving? :pac:

EDIT: just thinking about it a little further...obviously the lines and pole from the car would need to be high enough so people couldn't grab it. Maybe just have the lines on long stretches of Motorway (already restrictions) and Dual Carriageways (change law to ban pedestrians/cyclists).

Thought I'd share my day dream even though it wouldn't be at all practical to implement.

Kind of like a trollybus?

But those things are technically illegal

saw them in Athens a few years ago, reminded me of a poor mans tram though