No More Petrol or Diesel cars 10 years from now..

[hollydolly]

 

[gennie]

If I knew a young person still searching for a profession, I would suggest auto maintenance centered.

Whatever the rules, there will be a strong market for those who can keep the old model autos up and running.

 

[DaveA]

Agreed. Along with battery technology research, there's also ongoing research looking into more effective solar panels. I imagine when better tech is developed in both areas (and it probably will be by then), a lot of our electric vehicle energy will occur as we drive in the sun. Maybe even wind generating tech as we drive.

It'll give new meaning to, "let's not go today - - I think it's starting to cloud over."

 

[CarolfromTX]

Charging ten years from now will look nothing like today.

Sez you. Who really knows?

 

[AnnieA]

Sez you. Who really knows?

I think he's right. There are billions or more to be made with better battery technology so there's a lot of research ongoing.

 

[JB in SC]

Billions of government spending turn into trillions. You folks in the UK will have to catch a few thousand Leprechauns.

 

[JB in SC]

Solar is the answer and we could probably already be there if -beginning 100 years ago - there had been as many government $$$ put into research & development, tax breaks and other benefits as has been thrown at the fossil fuel industry since then.

Probably not done because sunshine is free. Hard to make it a money maker and the world runs on money.

Nikola Tesla (no connection to the car) was a genius. He rivaled our own Thomas Edison. His idea was for his type of electricity to be free for all much like the www. works today - for the good of mankind.

I do hope the world steers away from nuclear, at least until someone comes up with a better way to deal with nuclear waste.

Solar is battery dependent, and very expensive now. To think it’s going to be substantially cheaper in the future is being naive.

All forms of energy have their issues, disposal of spent components for some, extraction for others. The best method to reduce energy costs is to use less of it.

 

[Butterfly]

Something MUST change! Hopefully this will work out. There may be changes to be made to afford everyone a chance for transportation that we don't know about yet.

Good public transportation would help. Can't speak for everywhere, but here in my state public transportation is abysmal, at best, even in the cities.

When we were stationed in Germany, fairly long periods would go by when we didn't even move our car because public transportation was everywhere and so easy to use.

 

[Chet]

I still think rubber bands are the way to go.

 

[Meanderer]

The "Ten Year" plan can prove to be a little tricky!

 

[grahamg]

It seems reasonable for the UK. The older cars will still be available for a while. Also you have a wonderful public transportation system in the UK so it isn't as necessary to have a car there as it is here in the US.
As more electric cars are made their price should come down. I've heard that some companies are working on battery technology that will bring the cost down to be close to the cost of gasoline and diesel vehicles.
In addition progress in the technology of fuel cell vehicles (hydrogen powered) may improve enough and get cheap enough to make them more reasonable.

Our wonderful public transport system has some drawbacks you know, albeit we're lucky to have it. The new hybrid electric/diesel buses take off and brake so fast you're thrown about if you attempt to walk further down the buswhen getting on or before getting off when its moving, and even when you're in your seat. Trains used to be so crowded very often, before the pandemic anyway, not getting a seat for half a long journey at busy times was fairly common too.

I apllaud efforts to go green however, because of the potential catastrophe we've been warned about for over half my lifetime, and dear Greta shouldn't be blamed for her high profile campaign, I'm sure you'll agree. Nor should she be accused of being cruel to children mining or extracting cobalt or other previous minerals, as I'm sure she'd organise other, more humane means of mining given the power to influence things more than she does already.

 

[Irwin]

I applaud Boris Johnson's ambitious plan to go green. EVs are the future, and the more gov't gets involved, the faster we'll solve the greenhouse gas problems. Good for him. Good for England.

EVs have far fewer moving parts than vehicles with engines, which means they're more reliable and should be cheaper. Time will tell if that becomes the case. They're also quieter, cleaner, and more powerful. The biggest obstacle has been battery cost, but that's being solved.

We don't even have high-speed rail transportation here in the U.S. We're laggards in technology when we used to be leaders.

 

[Mat]

Got a good horse for sale cheap, low mileage and will work for food and a warm barn in the winter.

 

[doat]

Don’t count anyone out, if there is money to be made. You can bet their are oil people looking at other options to oil.

 

[oldman]

I'll believe it when I see it.

Talk is cheap.

Here in the U.S. I have seen different estimates of going green with highest being $30 trillion and the lowest set at $12.5 trillion. Add those numbers to our already high debt and I am pretty sure that there isn’t a bank or investment company eagerly willing to loan us that much money.

What I would prefer to see happen is to outsource the plan to an already wealthy company like a big tech firm, Amazon, Apple or Comcast. They can handle the investments and keep the income after they satisfy the reoccurring debt.

 

[AnnieA]

dear Greta shouldn't be blamed for her high profile campaign, I'm sure you'll agree. Nor should she be accused of being cruel to children mining or extracting cobalt or other previous minerals, as I'm sure she'd organise other, more humane means of mining given the power to influence things more than she does already.

The meme doesn't accuse Greta of being cruel to children. Batteries requiring cobalt were developed before she was born.

Look at the text of the meme. What the meme illustrates to me is the difference going green means to first world children and children in the Congo. The irony is in the wording. Greta still has dreams and a childhood; the child in the Congo is working to mine cobalt for electric car batteries doesn't.

I think--certainly hope!!!- that the meme will be outdated soon due to the development of batteries that don't require rare earth minerals. There are scientist working hard to get us there; someone will succeed, and I hope it's sooner than later.

 

[oldman]

My wife and I drove from LA to Palm Springs. When we got closer to Palm Springs, we started seeing more and more wind turbine farms. One of these farms had acres and acres of wind turbines, so I got out of the car to take some pictures. The very first thing I noticed was the noise. I didn’t count them, but there must have been at least a few hundred of these turbines. I also wondered if an individual owned this particular farm and if he did, how much revenue were they generating.

The problem with wind turbines is that they can use up some valuable land, not to mention that if there is no wind, they become almost worthless. I believe that the turbines were put there because the owner is hoping that the winds from the ocean keep the turbines turning. As for using solar panels, no sun, no energy. Point is, that there is always going to be a downside to most things we believe to be an alternative to fossil fuels.

I don’t mean to downplay the importance of going green. We should prepare our atmosphere for the future. I am pro nuclear. But, here again, we have a problem. What do we do with the spent uranium? What do we do with car batteries? Solar panels last a long time, maybe 30 years.

 

[grahamg]

The meme doesn't accuse Greta of being cruel to children. Batteries requiring cobalt were developed before she was born.
Look at the text of the meme. What the meme illustrates to me is the difference going green means to first world children and children in the Congo. The irony is in the wording. Greta still has dreams and a childhood; the child in the Congo is working to mine cobalt doesn't.
I think--certainly hope!!!- that the meme will be outdated soon due to the development of batteries that don't require rare earth minerals. There are scientist working hard to get us there; someone will succeed, and I hope it's sooner than later.

We must try to be careful not to split hairs, but I didn't exactly say anyone had accused Greta Thunberg of being guilty of cruelty to children, but the juxtapose of the two pictures could be interpreted as meaning the policies she wishes us all to follow, leads "directly" to other children being forced to work in dreadful conditions mining minerals.

Another point to make is Greta's words about the future of the planet has a message in it of relevance to all children being born today, as well as the young people already here, who of course will feel the effects of global warming more than the rest of us older people, so everyone's dreams are being taken away, (even the child mining may have dreams she' one day find a better future you'd hope too?).

I do take your point though that Greta is from a privileged background compared to the poor mites in other countries, but this alone doesn't defeat her arguments does it(?). .

 

[AnnieA]

I do take your point though that Greta is from a privileged background compared to the poor mites in other countries, but this alone doesn't defeat her arguments does it(?).

Certainly not. The last sentence in post #41 (quoted below) is the key to making her dreams a humane reality.

I think--certainly hope!!!- that the meme will be outdated soon due to the development of batteries that don't require rare earth minerals. There are scientist working hard to get us there; someone will succeed, and I hope it's sooner than later.

 

[Chet]

One purpose of going green is to reduce the effect that humans have upon the planet. All well and good, but the conversation no one is willing to start is about controlling the number of people on the planet which is the source of the problem. If you halve the pollution and double the population you have gone nowhere.

 

[Nathan]

Don’t count anyone out, if there is money to be made. You can bet their are oil people looking at other options to oil.

Definitely, they're just waiting for some coherent leadership in DC.

 

[Irwin]

...

 

[StarSong]

$12.5 - $15 trillion wouldn't be needed all at once and private industry would pay for a lot with an eye to a handsome return on their investments. It will evolve over time.

Look at the explosion of computers, smart phones, online shopping, Netflix, Hulu and so much more over the past 20 years. Green energy should be no different.

 

[Aunt Marg]

Here in the U.S. I have seen different estimates of going green with highest being $30 trillion and the lowest set at $12.5 trillion. Add those numbers to our already high debt and I am pretty sure that there isn’t a bank or investment company eagerly willing to loan us that much money.

What I would prefer to see happen is to outsource the plan to an already wealthy company like a big tech firm, Amazon, Apple or Comcast. They can handle the investments and keep the income after they satisfy the reoccurring debt.

I love your idea, Oldman!

I support any/all initiatives to help allow to world to move forward in relation to more clean and natural energy, but I believe we've already reached a point of no return, and knowing how many years/decades it would take to get every country onboard with and introduce new technologies, etc, I just don't see it happening.

It's a pipe-dream in my eyes, one where governing parties can gouge the working class deeper in the name of, and at the end of the day nothing changes and everything stays the same.

The old saying... "too little - too late", sums it up for me.

 

[oldman]

$12.5 - $15 trillion wouldn't be needed all at once and private industry would pay for a lot with an eye to a handsome return on their investments. It will evolve over time.

Look at the explosion of computers, smart phones, online shopping, Netflix, Hulu and so much more over the past 20 years. Green energy should be no different.

Right now, we can’t even afford to borrow anymore money, nit even another dollar. Even if we borrowed or printed 1 trillion dollars per year, that amount barely covers the interest on the money we owe now. Why would any private industry put up money? Even public companies are hard to get money from, except to pay lobbyists and political parties. They feel a sense of loyalty to their investors.