Surely the lowest carbon driving alternative is to not drive?

Those who can work at home should be doing. To do that we need to invest heavily in the broadband infrastructure in the UK and radically improve computer skills training. Also IP telephony needs a real kick in the arse.

Drivers won't leave their cars behind until the alternative is easier, less work and much more convenient. Tbh, we have so many people in commuter villages now that a fully privatised public transport system is completely untenable. So we, the taxpaying public, will have to pay for more and far better buses and trains. We will also need to consider the possibilities that

1) We can't all live in the lovely countryside
2) We can't all carry on breeding

Reducing the speed limits and introducing swingeing speeding fines (~£500 per mph over the limit) would increase efficiency. So would banning cars from urban areas and motorways (they were never meant for cars anyway).

Sadly all this will cost wonga and as we say in christian circles, "By their wallet shall ye know them". Many (esp. the middle classes) say that they will support measures to help prevent climate change. However, from talking to environmental agencies and politicians, there is no confidence that they will. Tbh I agree - folk are always kind with other people's money.

Hey, I'm doing my best

I was at a farm in Dorset today where they fix tractor engines, and "the wife" was quite excited when I told her she could plug her SIP phone in at home and it would work just the same as in the "office"; ringing on the main number and being able to transfer calls etc. We have a lot of "teleworkers" in all kinds of industries, from sex chat lines to holiday bookings to company directors and pretty much anything else.

Communication from home really shouldn't be the problem these days; provided you can get a descent broadband connection. That's always the big question. You don't necessarily need to transfer multi-gigabytes, but you need it to be fast and reliable.

Prices start from a few pounds a month - you know how to reach me

How much time do I spend at over 87mph?

More than I should, according to the onboard computer ^_^

But to be honest my "top speed" is about 130mph, which i've only hit once and that I wouldn't go for again as the car really didn't like it. With a top speed of circa 130mph and a good cruising speed of 90mph, it makes me feel that a good cruising speed for this electric car would be about 55mph which is just too slow.

Angelic, the characteristics of electric motors are completely different from petrol/gas engines. They don't run out of puff towards the top end. Indeed a decently made one will have a short term burst rating far higher than the rated power with the right controller.

Agree with Jon there are as yet a lot of technical problems with practical use of hydrogen and all current hydrogen is derived from fossil fuels. To break away from that means 'cracking' it from water with electricity but that assumes there is a surplus of electricity around from more urgent uses like cooking my supper . That said it is one very good way, to a point, to handle the variability of the renewables if we can deal with the storage issues adequately.

With electric cars for virtually all my driving 80-100 miles would be ample. My concerns lie with the life span, how well the capacity holds up over time, the environmental costs in the materials etc etc. The first two working from a battery swap system would be addressed, to a point, in ceasing to be my problem. I'm just not satisfied all the practical and broader environmental issues have been fully worked out well enough yet. Battery swapping for one thing does need to be sorted because it seems to me an absolute essential to practical use and driving uptake of electric cars. Otherwise I'd be quite happy with one for my purposes.

Richard.

Nope.

Why? This is why...

80 miles on 1 charge.

1 charge = 6 hours.

Imagine driving to london?

183 minutes to London = 3 charges.

18 hours to charge. 180 mins to London.

21hrs 3 mins.

No, sireeee!

I'd be happy with that, but I'd change the speed to 100 and the recharge time to 5 minutes.