It seems to me that the evolution from internal combustion power to electric power is opening up options that mean one size no longer fits all. This makes decisions are required and, just as importantly, the playing field is no longer level.
ICE is the "safe" option, for sure, but new ICE engines may be reaching the end of the road.
Electricity has much to recommend it, but the hard choice is how to "carry" the electricity, and this depends as much on life style and geography, as anything. in dense Urban areas EVs make absolute sense, but for the many who run 5 to 15 year old cars that cost less than £10k and EV is still way too costly.
Charging a BEV at home, with occasional top up charges on the road works for many, but not all. Even the home charging question is complex: if you are an eco warrior with substantial PV and Battery you are largely insulated from the capacity of the DNO 240V system. But already on our lane a householder has been told by the DNO that he can have either a car charger or a an air source heat pump, but not both, unless he pays £25k towards an upgrade of the local transformer and 3 phase power to the house: one phase for the traditional supply, one for the heat pump and one for the car charger.
Taking a holiday in some parts of the country with an EV can be stressful. A pal has recently dumped his Tesla Model 3 for a Volvo hybrid, after a 2 week stay in Cornwall where he spent "far too much time" looking for power, with the resultant family stress: 3 kinds from 7 to 16 don't think sitting in a Tesco carpark for 3 hours as the car charges is "fun". I can understand that.
Hydrogen could be a solution, if there was an infrastructure, but there isn't. Yet.... If ever.
Fast chargers exist on the Motorway Network and in urban conurbations, but about 50% of us don't live near enough to benefit.
For all these reasons I dumped the 14 month old Tesla and replaced it with an ICE in a 6 year old Porsche. I suspect I'll not be alone. I will wait, and perhaps no longer be a driver, by the time this has all worked through.
