I need to know what you think of cute electricity

[andrewducker]

Poll

Context for the cuteness question - via the top half of lizzie-and-ari.
Context for the Scotland half

Comments

[danieldwilliam]

Okay, but my point is addressed to the marginally aged utility car rather than vintage or classic car, owned for aesthetic reasons.

The argument being that even as electric cars become better in terms of range and with better support infrastructure so that someone buying a new car would not need consider a petrol car there is a tail of second hand petrol cars that remain in service because the reduced capital cost of buying an old car offsets the cheaper running costs. So, even if we have the appropriate battery technology and infrastructure in place by year 20XX we won’t actually see petrol cars leaving our roads until year 20XX plus the average life span in use of the petrol cars. This lifespan might be out to 40 years. It’s certainly 15-20 years.

What I’m wondering about is if a high proportion of the population of cars are electric and petrol stations start to either shut down completely or try to apportion the same fixed costs over a lower volume of petrol sold would the additional cost and hassle drive people to abandon their 15, 20, 30 year old servicable petrol car. That a marked increase in fuel costs cuts off the tail.

I think you are entirely right that some people will want to hang on to vintage motors for reaons that are not about practicability and they may well be willing and able to pay for the infrastructure to do so. Enthusiasts will pay a premium to keep their object of desire going. But I think we’re talking 1% or less of the miles driven each year in the Central Belt.