Levelling up secretary calls for scrutiny of green policy but says ban on sale of new petrol and diesel cars is ‘immovable’

  • 47 Alpha Tango
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    12 years ago

    The car may last longer but the batteries won’t last as long as a petrol or diesel engine.

    Batteries degrade every time they go through a cycle and eventually they will barely last long enough to get to the next charger. However a petrol engine will last far longer with proper maintenance.

    • @[email protected]
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      42 years ago

      This isn’t the case. However I don’t want to get into a row about it except to say it’s nearly impossible to argue against the myths people make up in their own mind. Peace brother

      • Rokk
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        12 years ago

        Every other device I use with a rechargeable battery suffers hugely with degredation. Can you explain why an EV battery would be an exception (cause I would love it to be!).

        Surely if its a very common myth that you know to be wrong you should be trying to correct that.

        • @[email protected]
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          2 years ago

          Fair question. EV batteries do suffer degradation, it’s to do with the nature of lithium. When it allows electrons to pass through a vein is formed in the substance, it looks like marble and over time these veins become larger and the overall capacity of the lithium is lower. This happens in all lithium. In an EV you need a higher grade, more expensive substance because what driving requires is instant power to the drive train for longer so it’s not like a laptop battery which is lower grade. There have been teslas doing over 1 million miles and suffering lower degradation, and current models of EV other brands are seeing a few percent per year in a heavy mileage year. In practice this translates to a minute extra charging. It will take decades to get into a situation where you can’t go anywhere but you’ll most likley have changed vehicle by that stage, if the average ownership is 5 years.

        • @[email protected]
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          32 years ago

          But that is the fuel, not the motor. The motor has almost no moving parts, a petrol motor has lots more and is generally a complex and over engineered solution to move a drive train by comparison. What you are saying is that petrol doesn’t go off, it does and that it’s a preferable fuel - it just isn’t by any measure. Repair and maintenance of electric motors is far easier and cheaper, and motors last a lot longer.

          • 47 Alpha Tango
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            -22 years ago

            I was only talking about the batteries. I never mentioned the motor.

            A battery replacement on an electric car more often than not isn’t economically viable as costs a large percentage of the overall value of the car.

            But as you mentioned the motor once that dies you have to replace the whole unit. There aren’t many scenarios where replacing a whole engine is required.

            Then there’s the range to consider. I can drive the length of the UK in a single day in my diesel car as it takes 2 minutes to fully refuel. That can’t be done in an EV yet.

            The point is we are lot more than 7 years from being in a place where EV’s can replace internal combustion. If it ever can.

            Hydrogen powered cars on the other hand are capable of replacing fossil fuelled vehicles but they aren’t being developed at the same rate as battery cars.

            • @[email protected]
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              42 years ago

              Apologies, but when you said ‘batteries won’t last as long as an engine’ I was answering you. You’ve conflated the two possibly by accident.

              I totally disagree with everything else you say. All the best