In our review, the Tesla Model 3 receives 4 stars.
I think the 2008 Tesla Roadster will go down in the annals of history as a landmark vehicle: at least as significant as any other vehicle built since the turn of the century. If the terrific Renault Twizy suited me, I’d be all over one. (If I thought I could hack a range extender onto one, I’d give it serious consideration already.) And I’m about to buy an electric bicycle for m’laddio to ride to school on.
So in case there’s any doubt, I said it: I like electric vehicles.
Some people think I don’t, because earlier this month in Autocar's print magazine I voiced concern about the ability of Britain to deal with the ‘Road To Zero’ plan, which would need electric charge points installed at the rate of more than 2200 every day for the next 30 years, if the number of charge points is to keep pace with electric cars.
But because I had the temerity to doubt that there would be a viable number of public chargers for the near half of the population who can’t charge at home, or a fair system for fuel duty, in place by 2040 – 18,000 haven’t been built since I did the calculations, so we’re behind the curve on that score already – I got told I was “trolling the electric vehicle community”.
My inbox rippled with anecdotes about how great EVs are – which is true – and how easy to use they are – which is also true, if you’ve chosen one because it suits your lifestyle, rather than you being told you have to have it.
Anecdotes, though, I’ve heard a few. If the stories of evangelising early adopters, who charge overnight at home and never have an anxious moment, count as evidence, let me give you another.
Friends of the family call in to my house in their Tesla Model S, on their way to tramp around a nearby field. I’m a big fan of the Model S. So is its owner, even though the range dips to 90 miles in winter.
Thing is, he’s forgotten to bring any boots, so I lend him a pair of mine. Happy days. They go, have a good time, then, two minutes after I hear they’ve set off for home, I think: his trainers are in the porch, so has he still got my size-eight clompers on his feet? We phone him: yes, he has.
“Couldn’t just drop them back, could you?”
“Ah,” he says. “The car’s got 16 miles of range left and the Oxford Services Supercharger is 16 miles away, so if I come back, I won’t make it. Don’t suppose you could come and get them from where I am, if I wait here?”
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Surface charging
In response to Mondeoman - It would extend to all roads, minor or not. It would even need to extend to people's driveways/parking space too!
The whole surface would be capable of passing current, so lane changing is easy. Ideally it wouldn't be cables under the road that require maintenance, but actually form part of the road surface in some way. It would obviously not need to be a danger to humans or animals. Ideally the road surface would pick it's current up from solar/light sources too, so it is basically self-charging.
Every road would need resurfacing that's true, but many do now anyway! This is where the crazy costs cut in. Still, once upon a time there were no paved roads at all or railways tracks and someone with vision came along and made it happen. The investment must have been huge back then.
The challenges with all this, I accept, are enormous. That's what we, as the human race, are good at though. Solving seemingly impossible obstacles. Once upon a time, the very idea of being able to fly seemed a pipedream.
The proposal, like those who pioneered our railways, would offer a genuine revolution in the way we approach our transportation needs. Further, it would give the electric car clear advantages over our current 'ICE' cars. At the moment, at least until infrastructure is proerly in place, EVs still feel like a bit of a backward step in terms of offering the level of convenience we take for granted with our fossil fueled cars.
Just a thought!
I've often though EVs have two big diadvantages currently - weight and range. Both these are due to the 'need' to have a battery. I say that, as there is an alternative. It would no doubt be unbelievably expensive, but what if rather than trying to carry your power pack around with you, it was available on any road, anytime? What I'm suggesting is some kind of electric supply under the road surface that your EV simply collects power from as it drives. BMW already have inductive charging and it's commonplace for phones to charge in a similar way now. No need for a heavy battery. Power would go straight to the electric motor. I hasten to add I'm no engineer, but it would be a radical approach, that if made to work, could dispense with the two biggest issues EV face. No weight issues and infinite range. What an advantage over fossil fueled cars that would be that carry a finite amount of fuel with them! This would be similar in principle to how electric powered trains currently gain electricity from overhead cables.
surface charging
In principle I like the idea of cars being charged through an inductive current below the road, but:
Would it extend into all the minor roads?
How would you change lanes on a motorway?
You would need to re-surface every inch of road to install it, (though perhaps that would solve another problem) at a huge expense
In the longer term, maintenance of the cables would be a big problem, and the cables themselves would impede maintenance of other facets of the road.
What would happen in the event of a cable failure, e.g. at a pothole?
What would the health effects be on humans and animals of a huge increase in magnetic field strength?
So it probably won't happen. Pity.
Numbers
I don't think the numbers of chargers being quoted are that far out. There are currently around 25 million cars in Britain, each one of which will probably be charged nightly. Fine when you have a house with it's own charger, but if you have 2 cars, you need 2 chargers. Very few domestic properties have the electrical installation to cope with that. The alternative is to go out in the middle of the night to switch them over.
The comparison with fuel pumps is spurious: Most cars will do 250-300 miles without refuelling, so only need filled once a week or so, for about 10 minutes per time. So one pump in a busy station can refuel up to 6 cars per hour, or up to 144 cars per day, or around a thousand cars per week.
By comparison, each charger takes 30 mins for enough charge to go about 80-ish miles, so each public charger can only refuel a maximum of 48 cars per day, or around 300 cars per week. But given that each car needs 3 trips to the charger for each petrol car's trip to the pump, it's really only a little over 100 cars which can be supported from a single charger.
So, running at full efficiency, you need 10 times as many chargers as pumps, at least at motorway stations and at charging stations along major routes.
On electric cars being used as local runabouts, and which will be charged every day, you need a charger per car so that they can be charged up during idle periods, either at home or at work.
Finally, the myth of free car fuel needs to be exposed: Motorway chargers are charging £5 for 80 miles of electricity, which translates to around 6p per mile for fuel. Less than a petro or diesel, but still significant, and the price of an overnight charge at home will be a couple of quid as well. Very few of us will have an employer willing to pay for the installation of a charger and then provide free electricity for all their employees' cars, even though they might consider it for their own fleet vehicles.
There is clearly a huge amount of infrastructure work to be done before electric cars are viable for everyone.
And tell the young master Prior to get pedalling. I used to cycle 5 miles each way when I was a lad, and I'm sure he will get used to his own distance very quickly.