A highly charged conversation

The debate around EVs is raging – what’s going on?

Mr Bean has gone in to bat against EVs, and my LinkedIn is suddenly all about one big debate which I’ve watched unfold over the last three days. It’s been fascinating to see both sides of the argument stand up and make their points, if at times a little shouty (welcome to social media in 2023).

With the Volvo study of 2021 widely debunked, proving that the additional embodied carbon in lithium-Ion battery powered cars is far lower than the 70% figure originally given, EVs are likely not the carbon-heavy illusion they were suggested to be in the original article.

However, EVs aside, while we step away from internal combustion, although green hydrogen would be the obvious win for cars, with 11 filling stations in the UK, of which most are in Greater London, it’s an expensive outlier right now. The same can be said for biofuels, which would have to be adopted on a national scale in order to be viable.

So, what’s a boy who drives to do?

Well, if you do want a brand-new car, then an EV is probably a good bet. With the average UK driver doing just 73 miles a week and the average EV doing 260 miles to a charge, ease of use will be fine, with or without home charging. If you can get one on a salary sacrifice scheme, then happy days, as they can save you a packet too.

That said, as I have an annual mileage of 6x the average driver, an EV isn’t yet a practical choice for me as a daily. Instead, I like to practice ‘bangernomics’… my sweet spot is usually around 8-10 years old, with 50k on the clock, and usually sub £6k to buy. I try and use green parts for repairs wherever possible, as it is a huge saving financially and saves the emissions of new parts being made. Does this mean my driving is emissions free? No, but it certainly helps.

Buy and EV, or don’t – it’s a free country, but whichever side of the debate you land on, I applaud this discussion and the noise it has generated. It’s focussing minds on the fact that we have a huge change occurring within the automotive industry – and whether or not we want it, any of us who drive will all be involved one way or another by 2030, so let’s try and ensure we are all informed in advance.

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