Any Londoners here?

[klondike]

This is where your rates go. I thought it was bloody hilarious but if you don't I can understand why....

[Mups]

Oh dear,  if that is really true,  its not only not thought-through,  but also a shocking waste of money.

But there again,  there would have been more than just one person contributing to the making of this engine,  so they are all as bad as each other.

[Michael Rolls]

not surprised at this further example of net zero rubbish - and as he says getting an EV near to a fire isn't the smartest of ideas

[GrannyMac]

Oh dear. Sadiq really Khan't. 😱

[Scrumpy]

And Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grubb are on standby....

[klondike]

Oh dear,  if that is really true,  its not only not thought-through,  but also a shocking waste of money.

https://www.fastcharge.email/p/scoop-uks-first-electric-fire-engine

[JBR]

https://www.fastcharge.email/p/scoop-uks-first-electric-fire-engine

Looking at that interesting graph at the end, it appears that interest in electric vehicles is, at last, beginning to wane.
'Nett Zero', principally a Labour policy, is hopefully beginning to disappear into the ether.

[Ashy]

He made a series of excellent points and as soon as he mentioned a range of 200 miles I thought "What about the pumps?" there's also crew heaters, area lights and communications to feed. And the contribution to air quality is effectively zero when considered as a proportion of a typical building fire. It's also the case that electric equipment is heavier than hydraulic which means more wear on the roads, if it ever goes out.

London is also wasting heavily on its bus fleet. Apparently there's a target date for all buses to be battery power. A London bus is quite a heavy beast these days, around 12 tons (compared to under 8 tons for the older halfcabs and 9 tons for the 3 axle trolleybus) but a battery power bus weighs 14 tons unladen which means more wear and tear on the roads and the various services under them.

Except in confined spaces, nobody will see an improvement in air quality.

[Mups]

https://www.fastcharge.email/p/scoop-uks-first-electric-fire-engine

Oh dear,  how stupid can they get!

[JBR]

Oh dear,  how stupid can they get!

Politicians, at least the Uniparty politicians since 1990, are prime examples of stupidity and, for that matter, incompetence.
That's 35 years without a really effective leader, and it is completely understandable why this country has now become a pretty dire place in many respects which, I'm sure, I need not list here.

[klondike]

interest in electric vehicles is, at last, beginning to wane

The only real interest in electric vehicles initially was the cash subsidy (gone), free road tax (gone), cheap fuel (illusory if using public chargers) and tax advantages for business which is still there. The other thing still there is the problem of range anxiety and inconvenience on any long trip.

As town cars when they can be charged at home they are ideal. Well ideal so long as you have deep pockets because the depreciation is huge and absolutely nobody with any sense wants to buy one secondhand because the cost of a new battery should one be needed, which can't be ruled out, would exceed the value of the car.

The lease companies have been burned badly by depreciation so lease costs will be going up.

Even a minor shunt can write one off because of the risk of battery damage and they need to be stored with lots of space around them when waiting repair because of fire risk so that puts repair costs up too. Special training is needed for garage mechanics - those batteries are 800v or so  and therefore lethal if mistakes get made - higher charges again. All of that signals higher insurance costs.

There may or may not be a problem associated with climate change but electric cars aren't a viable answer to that or indeed anything.

[JBR]

Well said.  All the drawbacks clearly listed.  For all of those reasons, I shall never buy one.

I believe that even the Labour 'government' will eventually accept their silly decisions.

[klondike]

All the drawbacks clearly listed

I doubt I remebered them all... 

Yesterday at 06:37:18 PM

I believe that even the Labour 'government' will eventually accept their silly decisions.

Most of this stuff was put in place by the Tories

[JBR]

I doubt I remebered them all... 

Yesterday at 06:37:18 PMMost of this stuff was put in place by the Tories

I agree.  As I said earlier, since Bliar took over I haven't seen a single competent PM and, of course, that includes at least five Conservative leaders none of whom have shown any real leadership.

Maggie Thatcher was our last really good PM, since Churchill in fact.  Just my opinion, of course.

[klondike]

It certainly is. There are plenty who regard her as toxic. Few mining communities would agree with you for sure.