I understand the impact on overall power generating requirement for all-electric situation will be very much less than feared. Around 10% on top of the existing, I think, and with renewables expanding, and the date of 2040 so far off, we should have time to plan for the new world of personal transport. (I will be 91 in 2040 if I'm still here)
Hopefully by then the UK will have actually put into practice planning policy and highway designs that (like much of Northern Europe) encourage use of bicycles and (electric) buses and trams. This has been the stated objective since mid-60s but the car lobby (far from being "low hanging fruit") still expects to be catered for and politicians attempt to do what they say. When did we last see a cycle path get the direct route across a junction, or priority when the highway narrows? It's common practice in Denmark, Holland and so many other countries, where cyclists (without fancy lycra and helmets) silently cruise along their designated (direct) routes to offices,shops and schools ... yes I know there are no hills in continental Europe.
The daft thing is that many of these places (especially in Germany and Switzerland) actually have higher car ownership than UK, but also greater use of buses and trains, and push bikes. In short people don't have to show how posh they are by using their 4x4 bl..dy car for every single journey they make. And they don't have that infantile, ignorant, cowardly buffoon, Jeremy Clarkson, mincing about on the telly, saying how electric cars are no good because he (!) might want to make a 200 mile commute to work every day. These places build and buy some great cars, but use them a bit more intelligently than we seem to ... and are prepared to develop and finance some great public transport systems to cater for the mundane parts of moving people around the planet.
So in 2040 the roads might be less congested (we hope) and we enthusiasts can actually enjoy the trips we do make by car or motor-cycle instead of following somebody else's rear number plate for hour after hour as we do now.
Well that's got that out of the way ..
Rant over for another few months
P7
p.s. ... and of course the Isle of Man TT, as part of its 110 year tradition of leading technology in vehicles, is playing its part by running the TTZero event every year on the most challenging 37 miles road circuit in the world.
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