I’ll mention once again that I’m not against EVs. It would be great if they were ready for primetime, as they do not release all the air pollutants that gas powered ones do, and I’m not referring to carbon dioxide. If you want one, get one. I am 100% against mandates and forcing citizens to purchase one. And we have even more problems
The electric vehicle dream has turned into a nightmare
The rollout of electric cars isn’t quite going to plan, is it? By the end of the decade it will be illegal to buy a new petrol car, but that doesn’t mean we’ve thought through the consequences.
There were always obvious problems with the technology: the electricity has to come from somewhere, and Britain isn’t installing enough chargers to meet government targets. And that’s before you take the rocketing price of electricity into account, which means that thousands of the handy roadside chargers where motorists could charge up for nothing have been pulled. There are nearly 40 per cent fewer than a year ago.
Wait for it
It now turns out that some bridges may not be able to take the weight of electric cars which, due to their large battery packs, are heavier than their petrol equivalents. Cue lengthy detours to a sturdier crossing point. It’s little use having new technology without the infrastructure to match.
Well, that’s a new one on me. But, it makes sense. EVs can weight anywhere from hundreds to thousand of pounds more than a fossil fueled vehicle. Bridges were designed for certain weights, averaged out between cars and trucks of all sizes as they travel across them. Now you’ll be added thousands or tens of thousands of pounds more weight to each bridge, stressing them. Bridges have collapsed from having too much weight on them. What happens when you have a jam, and you have added 15K pounds more?
A further issue is what happens when an electric car hits a pedestrian or a cyclist. Because they’re so heavy, the impact can be worse than that of a normal car. Urban 4x4s used to get a bad press because they could flatten pedestrians like a tank, but an electric car can do the same. Because they’re so quiet – unless they come with the fake engine noises manufacturers are working on – people might not hear them coming.
That’s not good. Here’s something from back in January: “Drivers beware: Some electric cars are so heavy they risk crushing smaller vehicles in collisions“. Have the Powers That Be really thought this through?
Moreover, if you’re remotely paranoid about surveillance technology when it comes to some social media apps or your smartphone, it turns out that some smart electric cars can collect data including route history and road speed. All the cameras, sensors, internet connectivity and radar which make the latest models so covetable also mean that they could theoretically be used for remote surveillance. I bet James Bond would pass on the electric vehicle and stick with the Aston Martin.
They keep coming up with more and more problems, eh?