A NEW car has been spotted in our area making the noise of a jet fighter. More yellow than a sorbet lemon, it inspires children around him. “Rev it, rev it!” They shout and the driver – the Rev – obeys. Birds clear the trees, babies roar, and shopkeepers come out to see what’s causing the fuss. Jeremy Clarkson supporters would know right away what model this low show stopper is, but all I can tell you is that it is not electric.
There is no way I can make our car roar. The best it can do is hum. When switching from electric mode to gasoline there is a brief growl like it doesn’t want to jump in the tank, but it’s far from giving viewers a smoky thrill – it’s so quiet it’s more likely to be run over we even noticed before they did.
I’ve been driving a hybrid for several years, but our newest car is by far the most technologically advanced. Once I had to stay under 30 to stay electric; Now, as long as it doesn’t climb through the Grampians, we can reach 60 and still use little more than a toothbrush. It comes with an app that assesses your skills as an e-driver and gives advice. “Easy on the gas” is the dominant theme. That’s all fine, but on the M9 with a truck in the rearview mirror, coaxing the gas pedal like it’s a kid faced with a plate of broccoli doesn’t feel like an option.
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Hybrids are the LibDems of the eco-car movement that are gaining a foothold in both camps. However, the day is fast approaching when I have to take the plunge and drive fully electric. It sounds like David Cameron used to say to do the right thing; whether it will be easy is another matter.
As part of the UK’s drive to become carbon neutral by 2050, the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles, including hybrids, is to be banned in a fuel-free mindset by 2030 so that we can effortlessly cross that historic line into a fresher, healthier future.
With dismal statistics on deaths and illnesses caused by air pollution, something must certainly change. The number of cars registered in the UK has increased by over 40% over the past 25 years. After nearly 33 million were on the streets last year, if this rate of increase continues, it could be 45 million by the middle of the century. But right now, despite the plethora of seductive ads for all-electric Lexuses, BMWs and other luxury brands – totally unaffordable for most of us – the UK had 667,519 hybrid electric cars last year. Another 194,000 were fully electric, and almost 10,000 more fell into the “Range-extended electric drive” category, in which a vehicle charges itself when it runs out.
That’s not a lot, especially when you consider that there are less than nine years to get us all to shift into greener gear. Is it still a surprise? Those who bought diesel cars at the urging of the government who assured them it was the green option now have no choice but to drive them until their chassis has an incident. At the same time, cars last longer – that is, people keep them for an average of eight years or more. And so should they. After all, the Green Brigade keeps reminding us that the most sustainable is what you own until it falls apart. No wonder the brave new world of clean electric vehicles is taking its time.
So if the sight of an old, exhaust-shrouded blast is as far away as the steam rising from the Flying Scotsman, will we be pleased with a seamlessly efficient all-electric transportation system? I have my doubts.
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First of all, public charging points are a nightmare. Over the past month, EV drivers in Scotland have been frustrated with the number of out-of-service chargers. In Edinburgh, almost a third of the 18 free ChargePoint Scotland units were not working last week; in Aberdeen, only 22 out of 31. The worst part was that one day the 64 points on that network on a low-carbon hub in Stirling went offline because it went offline.
Three years ago, a writer driving her electric car from Cumbria to the Wigtown Book Festival was stranded because she couldn’t charge it. She arrived almost an hour late and didn’t send an ambulance to pick her up until after the festival. Recently, swimmer Lewis Smith commented: “There’s a whole world of fear of not knowing if you can go somewhere … and come back.” He had just driven miles between three charging stations in Glasgow in search of tension.
The so-called “range anxiety” caused by stories like this is the main reason most of us are afraid to rely solely on electricity. In addition, the ability of the national power grid for a massive increase in fuel-free traffic still has to be proven.
But there are other reasons to worry too. As gasoline cars leak, there will be increasing pressure to install a charging station at home to avoid congested public hubs. Helpfully, the RAC has estimated that there are 18 million households that can turn their yard into a forecourt. But tearing up green spaces and smothering them with concrete feels like a criminal act. If hundreds of thousands of acres are lost to plants and wildlife, how does that help the planet? It’s like going to the doctor and, after promising to quit alcohol, start smoking instead.
With a clock ticking overhead, it seems incredible – and unjustifiable – that our infrastructure and strategic planning are still in their infancy. When EV drivers are in a more precarious and potentially dangerous situation than gas guzzlers; When trying to reduce our footprint risks spending a night behind the wheel or being dragged into a garage, powerless gives an entirely new meaning.
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