Hopefully someone is also counting all the fossil fuel needed for large construction projects as an electric bulldozer or scraper has yet to be invented. Then there is the concrete (cement) and steel and every other material one can think of except wood. Then there is the huge amount of lorry transport needed to move all the materials to site, no electric ones there either. Adding up all this fossil fuel cannot amount to anything much different to that used by the original liquid fueled cars, particularly when the construction of all those electric vehicles is included.


I also notice that the original article wants to have massive storage available to cover the time when the wind is not "friendly" enough, or the windmills fail or whatever. More massive construction.


There are a number of big windmills along the river Severn near Avonmouth and one of these has been broken for some time. Recently a huge mobile crane (1000 tons capacity) and a fleet of lorries carrying its accessories has arrived and has been slowly assembled next to the windmill to lower something heavy from the 250 - 300 feet it is high. The recent windy weather has prevented much happening, probably too dangerous as a good gust could easily tip the whole lot over during a lift, despite the huge counterweight. This maintenance must be costing a huge sum, and from info. from a friend who works for another turbine company, new projects are off the table because of lack of profitability.


The economic problem is thus exposed, and also the extremely dubious idea of electric everything to "save the planet". It appears that we cannot reliably build ONE nuclear power station on budget and extended timescale, so how do we manage to build all these others, and all the new pylons to carry the electricity, and dig up all the roads to reinforce (replace) all of the low voltage distribution?


This "smart  charger" idea is also dead before it starts, because in all cases the charger is built into the car and most do not have the smart charging power control built in. Like smart meters they are basically useless because there seems to be no one tasked with designing the whole system before we start, otherwise vehicles themselves would be class 2 appliances and much easier for the rest of us! The whole electric economy idea needs serious engineering input NOW before it is too late and the whole lot fails at enormous cost. I suggest a good place to start would be some of us Engineers who understand the challenges, rather than a load of politicians who don't, and stopping the propaganda from the BBC and others that the world is going to end. It certainly will for this country unless some sense is used by those who should know a great deal better than to promise the undeliverable. However they will find a way to blame the Engineers when it all goes wrong!


Take note!

David CEng etc.

Hopefully someone is also counting all the fossil fuel needed for large construction projects as an electric bulldozer or scraper has yet to be invented. Then there is the concrete (cement) and steel and every other material one can think of except wood. Then there is the huge amount of lorry transport needed to move all the materials to site, no electric ones there either. Adding up all this fossil fuel cannot amount to anything much different to that used by the original liquid fueled cars, particularly when the construction of all those electric vehicles is included.


I also notice that the original article wants to have massive storage available to cover the time when the wind is not "friendly" enough, or the windmills fail or whatever. More massive construction.


There are a number of big windmills along the river Severn near Avonmouth and one of these has been broken for some time. Recently a huge mobile crane (1000 tons capacity) and a fleet of lorries carrying its accessories has arrived and has been slowly assembled next to the windmill to lower something heavy from the 250 - 300 feet it is high. The recent windy weather has prevented much happening, probably too dangerous as a good gust could easily tip the whole lot over during a lift, despite the huge counterweight. This maintenance must be costing a huge sum, and from info. from a friend who works for another turbine company, new projects are off the table because of lack of profitability.


The economic problem is thus exposed, and also the extremely dubious idea of electric everything to "save the planet". It appears that we cannot reliably build ONE nuclear power station on budget and extended timescale, so how do we manage to build all these others, and all the new pylons to carry the electricity, and dig up all the roads to reinforce (replace) all of the low voltage distribution?


This "smart  charger" idea is also dead before it starts, because in all cases the charger is built into the car and most do not have the smart charging power control built in. Like smart meters they are basically useless because there seems to be no one tasked with designing the whole system before we start, otherwise vehicles themselves would be class 2 appliances and much easier for the rest of us! The whole electric economy idea needs serious engineering input NOW before it is too late and the whole lot fails at enormous cost. I suggest a good place to start would be some of us Engineers who understand the challenges, rather than a load of politicians who don't, and stopping the propaganda from the BBC and others that the world is going to end. It certainly will for this country unless some sense is used by those who should know a great deal better than to promise the undeliverable. However they will find a way to blame the Engineers when it all goes wrong!


Take note!

David CEng etc.