Audi emissions group action

[2.5piman]

Hello Paul,

forgetting the very small amount of hydro, imagine two scenarios, no evs and evs. The grid load will be x with no evs and x + ev's , renewable genration cannot respond to load, you get what you get. With the + evs that extra load will be provided by more fossil fuel generation, in effect evs are fossil fuel powered.

This is unlikely to change for decades and begs the question why are we expending large of amounts of money promoting them and adding extra infrastructure.

 

[PaulAA]

Hi Alec

I've not read the whole report and therefore can't comment on whether the disproportionate demand you describe has been accounted for, but bear in mind that renewables (principally hydro, wind & solar) in the UK now account for more than 25% of total electricity production, which is a greater % than coal delivers.

By comparison, Portugal now regularly registers days where renewables exceed 100% of their power requirements, so, in response to your second point, it could be argued that the additional load of EVs can be compensated for by adding renewable sources.

I'm not arguing in their favour - it's bad enough driving an automatic, but my experience of EVs has been... numbing.  But the next generation clearly has a difference perspective and we owe them a responsible analysis of our current actions and inactions.  Not something we've been particularly good at this last couple of years.

Paul

 

Edited October 2, 2018 by PaulAA