JCB"s hydrogen combustion engine is all well and good but in the time being fuelling it will be it's Achilles heel! You can see the sense in its usage case, it doesn't get round the fact that the h2 fuelling infrastructure is a little less developed than electricity distribution.
Mark - No Longer driving Archie the Old English Sheep Mog........... 2010 Roadster 3.0 V6 (S3)
JCB"s hydrogen combustion engine is all well and good but in the time being fuelling it will be it's Achilles heel! You can see the sense in its usage case, it doesn't get round the fact that the h2 fuelling infrastructure is a little less developed than electricity distribution.
Agreed. Especially for heavy industry and truck transport (and possibly rail too), hydrogen is an attractive option. But according to this site there are currently only around a dozen hydrogen fueling stations, compared to nearly 45k charge points, so they've got a fair way to go yet I would think.
Tim H. 1986 4/4 VVTi Sport, 2002 LR Defender, 2022 Mini Cooper SE
Hydrogen will be increasingly developed both production and distribution. Currently 80% of the UK’s gas comes in via Milford Haven. There is a gas pipeline that takes it away. Milford used to have several refineries but only 1 now remains. It is being looked at for Hydrogen production based on both oil fuel production and distribution history and gas import and distribution. It has experience. Availability of EV charging is still in it’s infancy with big upgrades and expansion still needed. A bigger barrier is the up front cost of buying an EV for private ownership. No tax incentives for a start. As for cheap motoring..... be careful in doing your ongoing cost breakdown. Fuel comparisons show savings if you can avoid the high power charging points and do most at home. Servicing slightly cheaper, tax cheap FOR THE MOMENT. EV charging will attract fuel tax to replace diminishing petrol/diesel fuel duty ( a huge source of funds). The Which comparison cites the up front purchase price as the big influence on longer term cost of ownership of EV versus petrol versions of the same car. Yes, day to day costs are lower based on fuel but factor in paying substantially more for the car and your breakeven period extends for several years. How long do you keep your car before changing? Repeated shorter term changes incur costs and losses. If you are happy to pay more to get an EV then fine. Me? I would love an EV and adapt my driving to it but not at a cost that takes longer to break even. Overall cost of ownership over the time of owning is a bottom line factor. If the maths alters positively then the chouce changes.
You get a £2500 grant off the price of a new EV, and £350 towards the cost of a home charger. There is no VED payable for full EVs
I don't deny that EV ownership at the moment is significantly more expensive than ICE car ownership, especially if buying used since EVs are holding their value extremely well, and it's certainly true that any form of car ownership is not going to get any cheaper for anyone.
I didn't buy my EV on a cost-benefit analysis, but I appreciate that many people do not have this luxury, and for them I genuinely wonder what they are going to do as and when ICE car ownership gets taxed out of affordability. I guess that very many people will move away from the idea of personal car ownership.
Tim H. 1986 4/4 VVTi Sport, 2002 LR Defender, 2022 Mini Cooper SE
Trouble with getting the big range, the wheelbases are getting longer and longer to fit the battery packs in. The new Merc EQS suffers from the same problem.
Yes I agree it looks huge, I still like the look of the Polestar 1, I first saw it at FOS a couple of years ago and have seen a couple down here on the road the looks appeal to me.
2009 4/4 Henrietta 1999 Indigo Blue +8 2009 4/4 Sport Green prev 1993 Connaught Green +8 prev
Makes me wonder if BEV cars will be the death of 2 seater coupes like the Bentley Continental, S Class Merc etc as they won't be able to get an acceptable range from a wheelbase that only needs to accommodate 2 doors.
I expect you are right in your prediction, it really seems to be a crossroads right now where we have to forget about the car being an attractive and fun thing in our lives but more a functional box. This is the way the average Hyundai driver has always seen them I imagine, but to those of us that like motor cars with style and fun we are fast approaching the end of the road.
Bearing that in mind I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Revival live stream of the Whitsun Trophy, I would normally have been there in person but didn't fancy it this year.
2009 4/4 Henrietta 1999 Indigo Blue +8 2009 4/4 Sport Green prev 1993 Connaught Green +8 prev
This is the way the average Hyundai driver has always seen them I imagine, but to those of us that like motor cars with style and fun we are fast approaching the end of the road.
You imagine wrong
My Mrs has a Hyundai. She'd love a sports car or something a bit more fun, but she needed something that had excellent mpg (80mile a day commute to work), very reliable, four seats, and enough room to transport our two giant rabbits to the vets/ pet sitters, and to do garden centre runs/trips to the recycling centre for her gardening habits.. Oh and she only had £4k to spend.
Hyundai i30 diesel fitted the bill perfectly. She hankers after a Mk3 Spitfire, but on her salary (and a seflish partner who has taken up the spare parking space with his Morgan) it is rather unlikely.....
