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Electric Plugin Hybrid Cars Environment Friendly City Switch

CliveS

A government grant should be given to drivers of vehicles who switch off their ICE and run on battery only power inside cities.

Vehicles without this switch including vans should not receive a grant,

To discuss is how to automatically switch the ICE off as the vehicle crosses the line into the zero pollution zone. 

At the moment there are cameras at these access points which could signal switch off and switch on when departing.

Hybrid electric car manufacturers could surely fit cars/vans with the necessary auto switch.   

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  • Does that mean that if I live in a town, but sometimes drive to a city, then the PHEV must run on petrol or diesel all the time to keep enough charge in the battery in case I enter the boundary of a city?

    Surely your idea makes pollution everywhere else worse just so that cities can have cleaner air.

    Instead, the UK government is offering grants only to battery only vehicles.  That way they produce less noise and pollution in cities, towns, villages and everywhere in between.

  • in reply to Simon Barker
    Simon Barker said:

    Surely your idea makes pollution everywhere else worse just so that cities can have cleaner air.

    Which to be fair is exactly why London for example has its low emission zone, particulates for example are more of a risk in built up areas than in open countryside (as I understand it partly due to the concentration of people, partly to the larger amount of time cars are idling in traffic jams). So targeting ICE reduction in cities does make sense. But of course the particular proposal in this thread would make no net difference to greenhouse gas emissions.

    Similarly to your point I did initially find it bizarre that I have to pay for my 50mpg car in the London low emission zone, whereas my wife's previous 25mpg 4x4  - a much higher greenhouse gas emitter - was exempt. But the point was that mine is a diesel, so potentially has higher particulate emissions, which is the immediate risk in a city. 

    I'm looking forward to going fully electric when I retire soon - unfortunately for work my car has to be able to make the occasional 150 mile round trip to the station or 200 mile round trip to the airport. Which should be ok in an electric now, but would be really annoying if it wasn't. Once I retire we'll be fine if I have an electric for my local driving, and we can use the PHEV for longer journeys. The the next question is how many solar panels we can get on my workshop roof (our only south facing roof sadly) to help with the charging...

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  • in reply to Simon Barker
    Simon Barker said:

    Surely your idea makes pollution everywhere else worse just so that cities can have cleaner air.

    Which to be fair is exactly why London for example has its low emission zone, particulates for example are more of a risk in built up areas than in open countryside (as I understand it partly due to the concentration of people, partly to the larger amount of time cars are idling in traffic jams). So targeting ICE reduction in cities does make sense. But of course the particular proposal in this thread would make no net difference to greenhouse gas emissions.

    Similarly to your point I did initially find it bizarre that I have to pay for my 50mpg car in the London low emission zone, whereas my wife's previous 25mpg 4x4  - a much higher greenhouse gas emitter - was exempt. But the point was that mine is a diesel, so potentially has higher particulate emissions, which is the immediate risk in a city. 

    I'm looking forward to going fully electric when I retire soon - unfortunately for work my car has to be able to make the occasional 150 mile round trip to the station or 200 mile round trip to the airport. Which should be ok in an electric now, but would be really annoying if it wasn't. Once I retire we'll be fine if I have an electric for my local driving, and we can use the PHEV for longer journeys. The the next question is how many solar panels we can get on my workshop roof (our only south facing roof sadly) to help with the charging...

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  • in reply to Andy Millar
    Andy Millar said:
    The the next question is how many solar panels we can get on my workshop roof (our only south facing roof sadly) to help with the charging...

    And as soon as you have them you'll want the early & late sun from the E & W facing surfaces, and maybe up-sizing the battery to hold a whole day's use. (personal CPD from year one of solar, panels are now cheap)

  • in reply to Andy Millar

    The ULEZ limits are based on NOx emissions.  That's why it's Euro 4 for petrol cars but Euro 6 for diesels.

    My diesel Land Rover is Euro 5.  It has a DPF fitted and should never emit black smoke from the exhaust.  But the NOx emissions are too high for the ULEZ.

    The ULEZ charges are doing their job when it comes to my driving.  On the rare occasions I need to go to London, the Land Rover stays at home, and I drive my electric Renault instead.

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